Why Is Weight Still A Point of Discussion in the Media?
In the past week, there have been two major entertainment news stories about a celebrity’s weight. Specifically, stars clapping back at haters who claim that they look “fuller.”
In my opinion, people’s weight simply should not be a point of discussion in the news.
This past weekend, American model Chrissy Teigen took to Twitter to get honest about her post-baby body. She tweeted the following:
Teigen is 33 years old and has two young children with her husband John Legend: a girl Luna, 3, and a boy Miles, 1.
These tweets got a lot of attention. Yeah, she does not have the swimsuit model bikini body she used to, but my question is: So, what?
Big deal that she’s a few pounds heavier. After giving birth, so recently that is totally normal. Teigen shared how motherhood had changed her outlook on food, claiming that she is now at “food peace.”
As a model, Teigen said in a previous interview with ET that she used to be “so stuck on the scale game” and before she had her baby, she used to weigh herself around three times a day. She said: “I knew how much I weighed at 8 a.m., and I knew how much I was supposed to weigh at 1 p.m., and I knew how much I was supposed to weigh at 8 p.m.”
I personally, haven’t weighed myself in years. When I get asked how much I weigh, I respond: “I have no idea.” The only time I step on the scale is when I go to the doctor and even then, I ask them not to tell me what it reads.
The number on the scale just doesn’t matter to me. What is important is how I feel and whether or not it’s healthy.
This is why I love Chrissy so much: she’s relatable. No, she’s not a size 2 anymore. But no one cares because she’s owning it.
It is no secret that Teigen loves cooking and therefore, eating. Teigen is the author of two cookbooks: Cravings: Recipes for All of the Food You Want to Eat and Cravings: Hungry For More.
Most chefs in the culinary community have a bit more weight to them simply by way of their occupation. It is unrealistic to expect people who work in the kitchen to be lean and limber. Famous chefs like the Food Network’s Giada Di Laurentis, who is as thin as a twig, are an anomaly in the culinary universe. Every time she bends down to open the oven on her TV show, I’m afraid she will snap in half.
In my opinion, people’s weight simply should not be a point of discussion - on social media, in the tabloids or to a person’s face.
The second weight-related story of the week comes after an Inquisitr reporter publishes the following headline: “Demi Lovato Appears To Have A Fuller Figure After Working Up A Sweat In LA”, to which Lovato clapped back: “I am more than my weight.”
Lovato quickly took to Instagram to unleash her anger and swiftly taught the whole Internet a lesson in body shaming.
She said: “Unlike the past, I'm not triggered, I'm not upset…I’m angry that people think it's okay to write headlines about people's body shapes…I’m not upset for myself but for anyone easily influenced by the diet culture.”
Lovato has struggled with body image in the past, most recently exiting rehab and in recovery for an eating disorder. Knowing this information, this headline was especially thoughtless and cruel.
Lovato summed it up perfectly. Too many people today base their ideal body weight off of what other tell them they should look like or weigh. News stories that unnecessarily discuss weight further contribute to this toxic way of thinking.
I have seen so many people obsess about many pounds they are. It is totally unhealthy and prevents you from being happy and living in the moment.
If you are reading this blog post, do not listen to haters who comment on body image. Eat what you want to eat and please refrain from commenting on what other people are eating. Reporters write about these things because they are unoriginal and have nothing better to write about.
As Lovato said on Instagram, “You are more than a number on a scale and I am more than a headline about my body shape.”
In this case, the reporter got in touch with Lovato and apologized, saying that this was a “lesson learnt.”
If you are a fellow member of the media, somebody’s weight loss or weight gain is not a story. It’s an attack. Find something better to write about.
It’s important to hear someone you look up to say “there is more to me than my weight.” Chrissy Teigen and Demi Lovato are brave, body-positive role models that I wish my generation had.
They keep it real and remind everyone to be confident in their own skin, no matter what shape it may be.