A Hefty Subject

So, this popped up on my newsfeed:

Meghan Trainor - "All About That Bass"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PCkvCPvDXk ...I will get to this video in a minute, but in case you haven't heard it by now, watch it!

Also, DAMN he's got some moves!

You know how the day winds up having a general theme, where everything seems to connect in some way? Kind of like how your iTunes seems to magically shuffle to a song you have had on repeat in your brain, or when Buzzfeed makes sure you see everything you miss from the 90's when you're feeling nostalgic. Something like that happened to me today, and it's funny because it's usually a topic I don't concern myself with because I used to have no direct link to it.

Earlier today, my youngest sister was clearing off her bookshelf, full of children's books and completed Mad Libs. She came across a journal with an entry in it from when she was fourteen-years old, and summarized most of it to me: she hated herself for being fat. As an automatic response, and also as a term of endearment (which I need to stop doing), I told her she was a dummy. I became irrationally defensive of my sister against her former mind, wanting to beat up the punk who told her she was overweight and unattractive. Obviously, I couldn't beat her up over the fact that she had low self-esteem; every kid goes through their moments of feeling worthless, and they learn to deal with it in their own ways (with healthy alternatives, hopefully). My sister and I shared an awkward moment while passing over the subject, saying a few words about her entry and me telling her that she was never fat, and still isn't.

When I was growing up, I didn't fit in with the girls in my class. I had a multitude of reasons why I was outcasted by my peers, but that's a whole different story. However, weight was never an issue. I remember one time where one of the few friends I had told me that she heard from the gossip train that a classmate of ours called me a whale. I laughed because it was so ridiculous how someone thought she was being malicious by calling me a whale.

Now, with the boom of social media, there are more ways for kids to get bullied, and it's heartbreaking to see. Kids can express their dislike or even hatred towards another person without facing the repercussions of their actions, or even physically facing their victim of choice. The language is there, clear as daylight, so the victim can read it among his/her peers, and with a statement so persistent and visible, it can only be assumed to be true. It's unfortunate that children are subjected to seeing these attacks on them in a consistent manner, especially if more than one kid joins the sick trend of abusing a child who is different than everyone else.

HOWEVER, social media has helped a whole lot. This generation now has artists who sing these kids' troubles away, telling them they don't have to worry about their image, just so long as they are comfortable in their own skin. This song, "All About That Bass" by Megan Trainor, magically appeared on my newsfeed right after the conversation I had with my sister. Apparently, it's all the rage on the internet.

Also, she isn't downplaying skinny girls, she's sympathizing with them, too! Read the lyrics, people.

Immediately after that song, Colbie Caillat's "Try" surfaced, and I found myself listening to yet another self-empowering song.

Two-facing Hollywood and social norms on beauty!

Kids growing up in this world will face a lot more harsh criticism, yes, but at the same time they are surrounded with so many people who believe that everyone deserves a chance to feel beautiful, wonderful, and worth something. It's reassuring to see that there are people attempting to reach out to one another, to spread messages of acceptance and love when hate-speech, intolerance of others, and (simply put) people who can't mind their own goddamn business about looks and weight abrasively make themselves loud and clear.

So be kind to one another, because at one point in your life, you may have been subjected to gossip and ridicule over your appearance by someone else. Would you wish that on anyone you don't know just because you can? No. Use that energy to do something good, and be kind.