Body Image Activists: Are Their Campaigns Dangerous?

I’ve always had a problem with body image activists (so much that one particular organization has banned me from commenting on their Facebook page). Sure, they mean good by encouraging more size diversity in fashion, but are their campaigns healthy? Or are they just as bad as having too many tall, thin, blonds?

Balance is key. This is what body image activists SHOULD be promoting

Look at it this way. The media went nuts over Maria Kang (the so-called “fit mom”) who criticized the general public as being “lazy.” While what she said was probably not the most politically correct, nor was it all that eloquent, she did have a point. There are plenty of people who are larger because they just find an excuse not to work out (probably more than people who are naturally bigger). Or they complain about not having the time. Sure, work can get in the way, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t “make” time to do so – especially when you seem to have hours to spend in front of the television. Others complain about not looking good in work out gear (who freaking cares what you look like at the gym? I don’t normally wear make-up at the gym (unless you count sunscreen and tinted lip balm). Unless you’re coming straight from the office, there’s really no point). Even if you have injuries or health issues, there ARE ways. Besides, aren’t you just setting a bad example? Work out, and you might find yourself looking better in that pair of form-fitting yoga pants, whether there’s thigh gap or not. You’ll FEEL much better, too – even if you’re never going to look like Maria.

Then there are the anti-dieters. I’ve been seeing anti-diet campaigns all over television and the internet, usually coming from body image activist groups. I’m not a big fan of fad diets either – notice that, unlike other bloggers, I don’t promote juice cleanses and the like on this site (though I will write about healthier alternatives using less oil or alternative flours, etc…) – but “anti-diet” can be seen by some people as “let’s eat whatever we want, no matter how good or bad it is.” That, like not working out, can’t be healthy, can it? We can’t have campaigns that seem to imply that it’s fine to sit in front of the television or computer, pigging out on poutine and triple cheese pizza. Instead, campaigns need to encourage healthy lifestyles. However, we are not getting that. Instead, we are getting “don’t diet.”

Author Cynthia Cheng Mintz wears a size 0 usually. Size 0 is not “too thin” when you’re short

Finally, there are those who are on the most extreme. The anti-size zero types. These individuals are perhaps the most ignorant of all (though not necessarily the most dangerous. That would probably go to the anti-dieters). They have been around the longest – I took a media class in high school (back in the mid-90s) and they were ever-present in my textbooks. They were in my Intro to Women’s Studies class in the late 90s when I was in university. In fact, I felt bullied in that class – the professors and most of the students definitely did NOT like thin girls. Every time I mentioned that sizes might have been different in the past (vanity sizing wasn’t all that highly profiled in 1998-1999), people didn’t just looked at me as if I was crazy, but argued with me that celebrities weren’t size 0/2 in the “old days.” They would constantly not listen to my perspective and only believed that their views were the right ones. One student went as far as saying that Marilyn Monroe, whose measurements were around 35-22-35 was a “big girl.” BIG GIRL? A 22″ waist? WTF? If a 22″ waist made someone a “big girl,” then what am I? Obese at 24″? Get out of that “Marilyn was a size 12″ mindset, PLEASE! 35-22-35 works out to a 6 in 2010s (US) sizing, and only because of the bust and hips. Waist-wise, 22” is 000 (which does NOT exist)! And people, slapping a size 6 onto something we currently label size 0 will NOT help anything. There will STILL be women who strive to be thin as long as the majority of models are very thin.

I agree that we need more size diversity in the fashion and beauty realm – and I am saying this as a style/lifestyle blogger (I’ve gotten into arguments with stylists, including ones who are MY SIZE (short and size 0), but whatever). However, by promoting anti-diet and having anti-size zero attitudes aren’t that great either. By doing so, aren’t they body snarking/shaming, something that they’re completely against? Body image activists need to smarten up and be more wise in what they do. Otherwise, they’re just as insulting and sizist as many in the fashion industry.

Future article: A deeper look into body image activists and their so-called “diversity” philosophy.

About Cynthia Cheng Mintz

Cynthia Cheng Mintz is the founder and webitor-in-chief of this site and the petite-focused site, Shorty Stories. She has also written for other publications including the Toronto Star and has blogged for The Huffington Post. Her first novel, Aspirations, was published in 2007. Outside of writing, Cynthia researches and advises philanthropic ideas for family funds and foundations and also volunteers.