madamethursday:

[Image: Five models of varying heights from shortest to tallest, of varying skin and hair colors and body types standing next to each other, hands by their sides wearing only white sleeveless tops with thin straps and white, very short shorts, looking forward. All of them weight 150lbs. The heights and dresses are: 5ft 2in, Dress size:14, 5ft 4in, dress size 18, 5ft 8in Dress size 12, 5ft 11in dress size twelve, 6ft 1in dress size 10.”]

stophatingyourbody:

redgaia:

They all weigh 150lbs

There is no ‘right’ body type. Weight looks different on different people, and it is ALL OKAY. Don’t compare yourself to other people’s bodies, learn to love the body you’re in NOW and what it can do NOW.

First, commentary on the commentary: Let’s be careful when commanding people imperatively to “love the body you’re in”. That’s extremely ableistic and erases those who may hate their current bodies for good damn reason and shouldn’t be told to love something that may be causing them lots of physical and mental pain. I can think of about fifty different reasons this may be the wrong thing to say to someone who is genderqueer or trans* or disabled.

It’s okay to hate your body sometimes. It’s yours and you’re allowed to not be happy with it. If you hate it 24/7, that might not be a pleasant way to exist, but it isn’t wrong. You’re not doing activism or justice wrong. 

Also, we’re going to compare our bodies to other’s naturally. It’s not wrong to NOTICE when we’re different. I’m a big damn woman. I don’t want someone pretending like they don’t notice that when I stand next to my size 2 sister that there ain’t some fundamental differences. Those differences are part of who we are. 

Comparing and noticing differences fine. Making that comparison the end all, be all final judgment with an eye to deciding who has a “better” or more “right” body is what’s wrong. 

Now on to me going “yay!” about the pic. 

See, this is one of the things that I want to put in front of everyone who’s crying about the obesity epidemic and BMI’s because weight =/= fatness. That’s been something that’s sorely missed when we’re talking about this issue. 150lbs can go a lot of ways. Yet, you’d have people quickly wading in to say “oh, 150lbs isn’t obese! It isn’t even really overweight! That’s sort of normal, right?”

Ha! Fuck normal.

Also, this picture shows how much bone structure and build go into a dress size as much as weight (the number) and general fatness.

Notice that there’s only a two inch difference between model# 1 and model #2 but one is  a size 14 and one is a size 18. Because their bodies are SHAPED differently, because one is heavier on top than another. Because one needs a larger TOP and the other doesn’t. Also notice that model #1 is largest around the middle and legs. If one took merely that models shirt size and not pant, they’d probably put that model in size 12. 

But the reverse is true of the model one down the line. 

What would be more revealing is to talk about their different shirt and pants size. Because model #2 (from the left) would probably wear a size 14 or lower pant, but a size 18 top. Similarly model #4 (next ot last) would probably be a size 8-10 on top but because they have very wide hips and upper thighs they would take a 12-14 on the bottom. 

Likewise, notice the last three models (the tallest/thinnest ones). Notice that the next to last (the 5ft 11in model) is thinner looking than the 5ft 8in model, but wears her same size, even though from the waist up their body smaller than the other person’s.

Why? Because they have much wider hips. Same weight, and only two/three inches of height difference on either side, but because of the body’s shape and distribution of weight, they are in a larger size! 

In fact, properly sized for shirt and pants not just dresses, all of these models probably wear a range from a size 6 to a size 18. 

Size 6 to size 18. And they are ALL 150 lbs. 

I want to shove this graphic at so many people. From comic book artists to obesity epidemic scaremongers to clothing manufacturers.