ohsopathos:

redefiningbodyimage:

piddlebucket:

redefiningbodyimage:

feetlips:

I’m not a controversial lady by any means, but I will be direct and to my point:

I am getting really fucking tired of all of the negative commentary about hourglass shaped bodies on tumblr lately. Trying to support a community by using a form of shame and exclusion is making your point moot. ALL BODIES ARE GOOD BODIES. Have you checked your privilege lately?

now back to your regularly scheduled arts and cats

well, technically, fatties with hourglass shapes have their privileges. so, those with hourglass figures should try their best to be aware of those privileges.

hourglass shapes are now and have always been preferred and more societally accepted over any other body shape. usually that preference has been among thinner/curvier women. at one point this body type was the beauty ideal everyone was striving for.

the type of fatties or “plus size” models you see representing all fatties on television or in magazines are always, more often than not, hourglass shapes. they are usually proportioned in a way that is more “flattering” or easier to enhance or slim.

if it weren’t for my disproportionately large arms, shoulders and chest, i would be close to an hourglass shape - so i know what it’s like to be close to experiencing that privilege, and wanting it so badly, yet never having it.

yes, of course, all bodies are good bodies. all shapes are good shapes. it is society that pits them up against one another, which in turn effects how our individual shapes are perceived. it is society that says: hourglass shapes are “better” or “more acceptable” or “more attractive” or “sexier” than rectangle shapes.

now is as good a time as any to recognize this shit and work against it. that’s all.

man i am ‘fortunate’ enough to have an hourglass shape and i can TELL you that works FOR me as a fatty.  i have privilege.  i really do.  it’s GOOD to recognize that this society unfairly covets that shape and will thus treat those with different proportions unfavorably.  really not that hard to understand.

exactly.

i don’t know which “negative commentary” OP was referring to specifically, but the only commentary i’ve seen on hourglass figures has been only about distinguishing privilege,  and recognizing how different fat bodies are perceived, never body shaming.

I am going to get blasted for this… but really!?!?!?

Hourglass privilege? 

Aren’t we getting a little extreme here? I mean, fat is fat. Why is it necessary to break everything down to this minutiae? I didn’t realize body acceptance was playing the “let’s see who has it worse” game. Like it’s all a big competition.

If that’s that case, then let’s start talking about teeth privilege (because honestly, have you ever suffered the embarrassment of your dentures falling out or having to decline a meal because you know it’s too tough for you to eat?)…. Think about that next time you ingest anything extra crunchy.

What about the normal toes privilege? Because mine are really small and I practically have no toe nails. There’s shame every time I have to put sandles on and my baby toes are visible. Think about that next time you don’t have to sit out the pedicure section of a girl’s spa day because there’s nothing to work with.

What about blue-eyed privilege? Because generally people find blue eyes more attractive. So think about us poor brown-eyed girls next time someone compares your eyes to an unending blue ocean.

I’m sure I’m going to be accused of either exaggerating the issue, or suffering from some other privilege and so I just “don’t get it.” Fine… maybe I just don’t get it. While I acknowledge that there are very real circumstances of privilege, I think crying privilege-foul all the time and trying to create even more segregation in a group isn’t helping us move forward.

If you’ve actually read everything in this thread and the post I’ve linked to I should think you’ll find that this is not about segregation at all. It’s not about who has it worse or better, it’s about recognizing how society perceives our body shapes and why. It’s not about pitting ourselves up against one another, it’s about recognizing how that shit ALREADY EXISTS - because it DOES - and by pointing it out and breaking it down, we can start to revoke that power.

I mean, honestly, what is so hard to understand? There is nothing negative at all in recognizing this shit. Yes, it is necessary to break it all down - this is how we learn and understand our own experiences as well as those around us. It’s a way of distinguishing the different ways society impacts and shapes us based on our appearance. It’s a way of learning and understanding. These circumstances are just as real as anything else.