Thin People are Beautiful, But Fat People Are Adorable

Jackie Gleason was not a thin man, but when he is talked about, he is more recognised for his acting and musical work than he is for his weight. I rarely join arguments that have anything to do with eating disorders, or weight issues. People have them, people come in all different shapes and sizes, and no amount of discussion will ever change that. Today I felt the need to say something. Many of you will be familiar with the BBC1 soap, Eastenders. There is currently a character called Abi Branning. The actress who plays her is called Lorna Fitzgerald, she is a keen dancer, and enjoys ballet and tap. She was born in 1996, which, by my calculations would make her 15 years old. Today, somebody posted a facebook status, referring to her as “Abi the chunk”. Now, everybody is entitled to their own opinion, but a grown “man” (and I use the term extremely loosely) calling her a chunk when she is clearly a perfectly healthy size?

In the world of showbiz, people are under constant scrutiny by the invisible forces that pressure us to feel we ought to be 2 sizes smaller than we are, spend silly amounts of time tweezing, waxing, bleaching, straightening, tanning and anything else we can do to change our appearance. Who are these people and why are they telling us to behave this way? Today the Daily Mail posted an article about Gemma Collins, from the ITV show The Only Way is Essex who has recently posed nude for Heat Magazine, declaring that she loves her 17 stone body and the size 20 curves that come with it. Good for her, really good for her, because I know I would never have the confidence to do something as bold. And if she really is happy, then that is a lot more than 90% of the women I know can claim. But as an ambassador for larger women, what kind of message are we sending out? We can ban size 0 models from catwalks, because they’re starving themselves to death, but when somebody who is overweight wants to pose naked, we hold them up as a shining example to the rest of the world.

So now I’ve finished my little rant, I’m aware I am sending rather mixed messages. I know I run the risk of sounding a little bit Mean Girls but please, can’t we all just get along? Guys, don’t comment on a girls body weight. It makes you sound rude, immature and shallow. Especially if that girl is only 15. Girls, you don’t have to be obese and you don’t have to be a stick figure. Find a happy medium, happy being the operative word. Now that is over, I will try really hard not to talk about size issues, because there is far too much of that in the world already.

The sheep are doing well; still no names for the girls, but my cruel, cruel little sister has named the two boys “Lamb” and “Chops”.  I’m thinking maybe Matilda. I used to love that book! Today, I have been re-reading Wide Sargasso Sea for an English essay I have due after the Easter break. I feel like I will never escape Jane Eyre. In other news, Nick Clegg has been urged to pull out of the coalition by one of his own party members. It hasn’t been a good week for him. It has been suggested that Lib Dem MPs around the country are going to lose seats because Nick Clegg has lost supporters. It is a shame, but its also a bit concerning that even his own party are trying to disown him. Do I smell mutiny?