Wednesday, April 4, 2012

True Story: I Have Skinny Girl Issues


I have issues with being too thin.
Okay, I see you rolling your eyes now. Give me a chance. Read on before you totally tune out or decide I'm a total loony bird.

I see posts/tweets/status updates all the time about people who have weight issues. However, they are almost always about being overweight or wanting to lose weight or being unhappy because they have gained weight. People talk about their fitness plans and weight loss goals and how they are planning/hoping to drop a few pounds.

I want to say that there is a flip side to this. Some people do have issues with being under weight. I'm one of these people. I've always been thin. And I don't have a problem being thin – I just sometimes wish I wasn't so thin. Being thin brings with it a whole set of problems – just as being overweight does.

Do you ever see someone walk up to someone else and go, “OMG, you are sooooo fat? How did you ever get that overweight? It's just crazy how chunky you are?”

Probably not.

But, people don't think twice (even strangers) to come up to me and say “You are so skinny it makes me sick! How do you get so thin? It's crazy insane that you are such a skinny mini.”

Why do people think this is okay?

I am just as self conscious about my weight than the woman out there who feels like she has a few pounds to drop. Just because I'm skinny doesn’t mean that I don't deal with the same confidence issues that other women do. It doesn't make me feel prettier, happier or more stylish. Don't get me wrong – I do feel pretty most days and I'm also happy most days, but I have my days just like everyone else.

My clothes don't fit most of the time. Sometimes I loathe getting dressed because nothing fits like it should. My pants always seem to big and my bust leaves something to be desired (I don’t filll out any shirts, that's for sure). If I'm not comfortable in my outfit for the day, I'm not a confident, beaming, beautiful girl. I don't always look in the mirror and say to myself, 'you're one skinny, hot mama.' Sometimes I look in the mirror and think to myself, 'gosh, my hips are so stinkin' boney and why am I so flat chested?'

My point in all of this is, we all have confidence/self esteem issues from time to time as women. Maybe you want to lose some weight. I would like to gain some weight. But instead of us talking about it all the time, lets build each other up and love ourselves. Lets be honest, none of us are ever going to be 100% happy with how we look. But lets stop looking to others with envy and thinking, 'if I was just more like them.' Because in all honesty, that girl probably has issues to.

Just remember, whatever it is you're struggling with, you're not alone. We all have something!

7 comments:

  1. Oh Manda.

    I love you. I love this post.

    I AM WITH YOU!!

    This happens to me ALL OF THE TIME. "You need to eat." UM- I eat ALL of the time...THANK YOU. It actually hurts my feelings...especially with the way it is said sometimes.

    Thank you for making me not feel so alone <3

    YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!

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  2. Exactly! For so long, I struggled with wanting to look like this girl or that girl and it was so unhealthy/damaging. I now focus on being the best representation of ME.

    I hate it when girls bash each other. Just love yourself already!

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  3. Oh sweetie! I'm glad you brought this up and decied to share. Before I got sick, I was all of 89 pounds as a 24 year old adult. My Dr had tried for as long as I could remeber, everything under the sun, to try and help me gain weight and nothing worked. Please know that NOTHING makes people speaking to you that way ok. You are a beautiful girl and please don't take those ignorant people to heart! XOXO

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  4. I have 3 sisters. They and my mom both inherited genes from my mom's side of the family, which tends to be a little bigger boned/heavier. I apparently took after my dad's side, where the women tend toward the skinny. And while they struggle with their weight, I don't actually actively do anything to maintain mine, which adds to their frustration. I'm not quite as stick thin as I used to be, and birth control has granted me cleavage, but it's still not uncommon when I go home on holidays, to one of them tell me "You're so skinny! Go eat a ham!".

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  6. You, sweet sister, are beautiful just the way you are! God made you in His image, which means you are perfect. So there. :) I'm sorry that you struggle. No one deserves to feel insecure, and no one deserves to be made to feel that way by insensitive comments. I will say as someone who complains for having more to me then I'd like there to be, finding an awesome tailor/seamstress changed my life. Love you!

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  7. I TOTALLY understand what you're saying! Being a man who, at times, has been considered underweight, it REALLY REALLY drives me to distraction when people look at me with an alarmed, horrified expression and say things like "my gosh, you're too thin, you need to eat!". As you said, it's like telling an overweight person "my goodness, you're too fat, you need to stop eating". Having battled for years with unrealistic expectation, fueled by Hollywood and magazine covers (as I'm sure it's the same for women) it's good to be in a place mentally where you can accept youself a bit better and be happy with small changes. Great and enlightening post!!

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