The "Real" Issue

As I mentioned yesterday, Friday was a day full of inspiring women, one of which being Caryn Franklin, one of the founders of All Walks. I wanted to write a response about an issue that was brought up with Caryn, about the use of phrases like "Real Women", or more specifically to this talk, the comment was made about the phrase "Life-size".

We've all seen images like this floating around Facebook, right? Phrases such as "Real Women Have Curves" come to mind. These images may seem "body-positive" but in all truth, they really aren't. All of the women in the above photo are hot in their own way, actually, they're all stunning! To say that one body-type is better than another is a form of body-shaming.

This is the same as the phrase "Real Woman". Just because one woman is not tall, thin, model-esque does not make her more real than one that is. This phrase might seem light and positive but when using it to describe one body, you're making a negative impact on someone who isn't of that body type or size.

This isn't to say that "thin privilege" doesn't exist, as it most certainly does, most prominently in the fashion industry. But we must understand that everybody has feelings and issues with their body. Some girls simply cannot put on weight, and are called "anorexic", or they have small breasts and are called "boyish". To call someone with curves and breasts a "Real Woman" makes women like myself feel like little girls or boys. Spending (aka. wasting) the best part of my life wanting to get a boob job because I felt unsexy and unfeminine has taught me that!

How do we stop body-shaming? Stop using phrases like "real women". Anybody who identifies as a female is real. We mustn't forget the transgender females either in this equation. It's okay to have a preference in what you find physically attractive, but you also need to see that it's all beautiful in some way! Shaming one body over another is only stunting this generation's progression into accepting everybody.