There Are No Trends For A (Woman’s) Body!

Body in focus. When the New York Post announced on its Twitter account last year that “the heroin chic is back,” it really creeped me out. Firstly, that an otherwise serious press organ would even stoop to such a level, even if the post was about the obvious slimming of the Kardashian sisters Kim and Kloé under the motto “curvy is out, thin is back in”. Secondly, that at all the figure of women, famous or not, is constantly commented.

The body is not a fashion item

A body shape is not a fashion item like an it-bag that can be discarded when it goes out of fashion and quickly replaced by something more trendy. And besides, no curvy body with a large buttocks and breasts and a narrow waist can mutate into super slim within one season without being helped along. In Kim Kardashian’s case, the minimization is said to have been done by removing her breast implants and her artificial butt, called Brazilian Butt. In addition, she is said to have swallowed a prescription diabetes drug that is praised on TikTok slimmers. But this is all speculation.

Adele on the weight bench

Recently at the Grammys 2023, Adele’s weight was once again the focus of attention, as it has been so often since she slimmed down. The fact that the powerful-voiced singer received seven awards was less of a topic in the media than her weight loss. Questioned was: What is her secret with which she has lost 50 kilos? Have they become even more in the meantime? The very unashamed posted that she could give her table neighbor, the US rapper Lizzo, weight loss tips.

US actress Selena Gomez is also familiar with hurtful body-shaming comments. When she was just photographed in a bikini during her New Year’s vacation in Mexico, she was showered with gloating. She was called “fat” or “chubby” and was advised to “lose weight”.

The body positivity message obviously hasn’t reached us after all. What gives us the right to comment on the figure or weight of others. Do we ourselves feel more beautiful, slimmer, more attractive when we hear or read such comments about fellow sex workers? When we come off better in comparison? And yet it would be desirable to feel good in one’s own body without having to belittle others. Self-love is the keyword.

Men are mostly left out

Sardonic body comments mostly affect women, whether it’s celebrities or taking place among us normies. I can’t remember male celebrities on the red carpet ever having their body measurements discussed or being asked for tips on losing weight. But even in normal life, I don’t think we greet men with the phrase, “Gee, you’ve gotten thin, how did you do that?”

The man, on the other hand, if he has only learned some manners, will never say to a woman, “You are too fat/too thin.” Among women, a remark about the figure of the other is commonplace. Even if it is supposedly meant nicely, like “You look good” and immediately followed by “Have you lost weight?” The message behind it is nevertheless: before you did not look good, because you were too fat. And that’s how it is usually understood by the other person.

Thoughtless words

Although we have learned that we do not slap others in the face out of the blue, we allow ourselves to verbally hurt another person – often without really thinking about it beforehand. We have no way of knowing what such thoughtless words will trigger in the other person. In the worst case, they can trigger disturbed behavior towards food or even self-hatred. Therefore, as a matter of principle, one should refrain from commenting on the body of others. Instead of caring about externals, we should rather be interested in how the other person looks inside, how he is doing, how he feels. A more loving approach to others also helps us to be more loving to ourselves.