Add your profile here. Monday, 27 July 2009
Beth Ditto.
She's a larger-than life character, and no, i'm not just talking about her weight.
At a reported 15 stone, Ditto, from Arkansas, is a large lady, but at the same time, it's not just her weight that grabs the attention of people.
She's a lesbian, an open supporter of LGBT and feminist acts, a self-proclaimed punk, who, shockingly, does not shave her armpits or wear deodorant, is seen out of her clothes more than in them, and takes pride in just not giving a flying fuck.
And its with this that I am so proud of this woman. Self-conscience teenagers are a growing problem around the world these days, and as an eighteen year old girl, I see it near enough every day, in so many, many unhealthy ways. Girls I know harm themselves, starve themselves and force themselves to throw up, all for this "Perfect image" that is thrown in our faces from a young age.
A shocking thing I witnessed not so long ago, was two young girls, at a perfectly healthy weight, sat talking about how they should go on diets so that boys will think they're sexy. I doubted those girls were older than 12.
And it's this, that makes me feel slightly sick, and makes my heart really hurt, that young girls think they can't be sexy until their ribs are sticking out and they don't eat more than one meal a week.
And of course, there are girls out there that are naturally very tiny, who also hate themselves, because being able to naturally obtain the weight most girls are killing themselves to achieve, they are alienated, and I am not leaving them out at all in what i am saying, but for my point of my explanation of my adoration for Beth Ditto and her attitude to body image, I will leave that for another day.
As a size UK 18, i'm a big girl. 49-37-50 Bust-waist-hips measurements [or so I think, I know I have lost weight lately], so i'm not small. Nor have I ever been in my life. So i've had to deal with the bullying, the constant self-hate, and the sheer desperation to be like those pretty girls on the magazines. But a while back, I had a crazy night where I realised that i'm meant to be a big girl, i'm meant to have my boobs, my hips, and my annoying little overhang of stomach that won't ever budge. It was that simple, just a night of looking at myself and thinking 'I couldn't be me without any of this.', and I stopped being so self destructing over the way my body was.
What I love about Beth Ditto is that she's just so happy with herself. You can tell this, because not every big woman would whack out a full naked body to grace the covers of LOVE and NME magazines, like this woman does. I know I still wouldn't! And she doesn't care what the world thinks of her. In her mind, she's where she wants to be. And I think that this way of thinking is perfect for a role model to kids.
And yes, I am fully aware that there are doctors claiming that it's unhealthy that she's making obesity "normal" and acceptable, but what they don't realise that some women just can't become thin, some can't budge their weight, and I think it's refreshing to see a woman who can stand in front of the world and say "Hey ladies, it's okay if you're fat, because you're still gorgeous!!", we sure as hell need it these days.
It also helps, along the way, that Ditto has such an interesting voice, and with Gossip, she's storming her way through charts, and shocking the world along with it. It's helpful to have a successful, fat white singer in the world, as although the likes of Adele are still around, she doesn't seem to stand out and stand up like Ditto at all.
Let's hope Beth Ditto's here to stay.
So Beth, I salute you, and I hope that more women become happy with themselves through influence of you!!
This Andii is an inspired Andii.
She's a larger-than life character, and no, i'm not just talking about her weight.
At a reported 15 stone, Ditto, from Arkansas, is a large lady, but at the same time, it's not just her weight that grabs the attention of people.
She's a lesbian, an open supporter of LGBT and feminist acts, a self-proclaimed punk, who, shockingly, does not shave her armpits or wear deodorant, is seen out of her clothes more than in them, and takes pride in just not giving a flying fuck.
And its with this that I am so proud of this woman. Self-conscience teenagers are a growing problem around the world these days, and as an eighteen year old girl, I see it near enough every day, in so many, many unhealthy ways. Girls I know harm themselves, starve themselves and force themselves to throw up, all for this "Perfect image" that is thrown in our faces from a young age.
A shocking thing I witnessed not so long ago, was two young girls, at a perfectly healthy weight, sat talking about how they should go on diets so that boys will think they're sexy. I doubted those girls were older than 12.
And it's this, that makes me feel slightly sick, and makes my heart really hurt, that young girls think they can't be sexy until their ribs are sticking out and they don't eat more than one meal a week.
And of course, there are girls out there that are naturally very tiny, who also hate themselves, because being able to naturally obtain the weight most girls are killing themselves to achieve, they are alienated, and I am not leaving them out at all in what i am saying, but for my point of my explanation of my adoration for Beth Ditto and her attitude to body image, I will leave that for another day.
As a size UK 18, i'm a big girl. 49-37-50 Bust-waist-hips measurements [or so I think, I know I have lost weight lately], so i'm not small. Nor have I ever been in my life. So i've had to deal with the bullying, the constant self-hate, and the sheer desperation to be like those pretty girls on the magazines. But a while back, I had a crazy night where I realised that i'm meant to be a big girl, i'm meant to have my boobs, my hips, and my annoying little overhang of stomach that won't ever budge. It was that simple, just a night of looking at myself and thinking 'I couldn't be me without any of this.', and I stopped being so self destructing over the way my body was.
What I love about Beth Ditto is that she's just so happy with herself. You can tell this, because not every big woman would whack out a full naked body to grace the covers of LOVE and NME magazines, like this woman does. I know I still wouldn't! And she doesn't care what the world thinks of her. In her mind, she's where she wants to be. And I think that this way of thinking is perfect for a role model to kids.
And yes, I am fully aware that there are doctors claiming that it's unhealthy that she's making obesity "normal" and acceptable, but what they don't realise that some women just can't become thin, some can't budge their weight, and I think it's refreshing to see a woman who can stand in front of the world and say "Hey ladies, it's okay if you're fat, because you're still gorgeous!!", we sure as hell need it these days.
It also helps, along the way, that Ditto has such an interesting voice, and with Gossip, she's storming her way through charts, and shocking the world along with it. It's helpful to have a successful, fat white singer in the world, as although the likes of Adele are still around, she doesn't seem to stand out and stand up like Ditto at all.
Let's hope Beth Ditto's here to stay.
So Beth, I salute you, and I hope that more women become happy with themselves through influence of you!!
This Andii is an inspired Andii.