Over the past few weeks one theme has kept coming back to me: clothing sizes. Perhaps it's the start of the new school year so people are shopping more or the upcoming season change, but as I've head back to the shops with my friends I have had several conversations about size tags. Some happy, some frustrating - all across the board. So I thought maybe others out there are in the same place as me.
For three years now I have developed a little saying that goes along the lines of, "It doesn't matter what the label says; if the clothes fit they fit." I am a firm believer that clothing should fit, whether it is a small or 3XL. The fact of the matter is the only person who has to see the label is YOU. If I'm being honest, I actually tend to avoid this conversation with friends because I get tired of hearing that I am NOT a large. Yes, yes I am. It's always awkward afterwards because I'm not about to drop my jeans to prove that I wear a 10, nor do I feel as though it's anyone's business (although, I realize I am making it everyone's business as this is posted on the internet..). The truth is, moving up from size to size never really bothered me. I recognized, the 6 no longer fit, so I tried on an 8. The 8's stopped fitting, so I pulled up the 10's. I would rather wear clothing that I can actually live and breathe in than squeeze myself into a pair of jean in which I can hardly sit. It's difficult, I know. Size matters in our society. It shouldn't, but it does.
Over the summer, Target decided to tell me that I'm not only large - I'm just a little bit EXTRA. It wasn't the first time I had ever experienced being compared to a McDonald's meal, but it was the first time I noticed how incredibly wrong it is. When did we decide that we should compare a Super-Sized meal to the sizes of our bodies? For organizational sake, I do like having size labels. I'm too Type A not to have some sort of system, but it's sad to think about what these labels can do to our self-esteems. The power these little labels can exert over our lives is impressive. It's something that we can either give control or that we can recognize matter very little in the grand scheme of things. Yet, that feeling of victory of going down in size shouldn't be taken lightly either. This is where I may begin to contradict myself. Oh well! So, size is size. Wear what fits - YES! But if you have been working on losing weight, putting in the time and effort and after months you realize your pants are feeling a bit too loose. GOOD FOR YOU! Celebrate that victory! The true battle is a battle that takes place in the heart. Has weight, sizes, looks, etc. become an idol? Therein lies what the real struggle is; we cannot let the way we look consume our hearts and that is not easy!
The other thing that these sizes have the power to do that just amazes me is the way it can cause one group of women (or men) to shame another different group. Fat-Shaming, Skinny-Shaming. IT IS ALL SHAMING. People saying things like: "When did being curvy stop being sexy?" "She must be anorexic - just look at her." "Maybe you shouldn't wear a two-piece swim suit." The list goes on and on, my friends. I wish I could say I've never done or said anything like this, but I'm sure I have. I have also been a recipient of a shaming comment. It's a vicious circle. Our bodies shouldn't be shamed - we are the way are for good reason! We need to treat each other with more respect. The Golden Rule across nearly every popular religion is to treat others as you would like to be treated. We need to bring back to human element to the way we treat one another. Furthermore, every size and shape is sexy and deserves to revelled. Do not be ashamed of the way your body looks and never accept the notion that you deserve to be shamed. If you would like to see a really neat project that is fighting body shaming in general check out Bodies Aren't Ugly. Bullying Is. One photo from this project is particularly touching - see below:
Until next time, friends!
-Renèe :)
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