Sometimes I wonder why the word beautiful has been placed in a pigeon hole. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder right?
We all know there are quite a few people in our society who don’t consider fat beautiful. This is more evident to those of us who are labeled or self-identify as fat. Remember when Quantasia Sharpton held a press conference discussing allegations of being exposed to an STD after engaging in sexual relations with R&B artist Usher Raymond?
Saying I was irritated by the negative comments made about Ms. Sharpton would not be a fair description of how I felt. A numerous amount of people had a difficult time believing the signer could be attracted to, or least of all, had sex with the woman speaking about the ordeal. But why? Is it so far fetched that the famous entertainer would find a fat woman desirable?
Even though I strive to encourage others, and myself, to focus on how we think of ourselves over the thoughts of the masses – I acknowledge this is not always easy to do. Especially in the age of technology and real-time visibility, of virtually anyone, we live in. But, this doesn’t mean I plan to stop. Actually, I am inclined to do it more passionately. Mainly because I’m concerned about the messages we are sending to younger generations. Which is something I stated before.
Do we really want to teach young girls that beauty is one dimensional? Do we truly want our daughters, sisters, or nieces believing or even striving to be a certain size or skin-tone to fit into an ideal of what beauty is? I recall how difficult it was for me when I was younger. I believed a false idea of what beauty is and it hindered me for several years. I don’t want my niece to succumb to society’s standards of what makes someone beautiful.
In addition to that, have we considered what we’re teaching boys? How are they defining beauty? Are we driving them to hide their natural attraction to what isn’t socially recognized as beautiful? Furthermore, have we realized the likelihood that our children see, read, and hear the hurtful and shaming comments that are made about people who don’t look a certain way? What are we teaching them?
I want to teach girls and boys the truth about beauty. It is something or someone that is pleasing to the senses or mind, which is defined independently. We can have a definition of beauty that differs from someone else. Additionally, two people can look and behave completely different and they can both be beautiful.
So, how can fat be beautiful? Easily, if I think it is – it is; even if you don’t.
Until the next time, be you and most importantly – love you.
Being uniquely you is being uniquely beautiful.
– B.B. 💋
