The Skinny Girl Epidemic is “Eating” Us Alive

Graphics by Sara McConnell

…..see what i did there?

It is so confusing to be a girl. One minute, skinny is out, and it’s all body-positive campaigning and ‘love yourself’ being screen-printed on a t-shirt. Then you blink, and everyone around you is super skinny and into cocaine. That’s weird. Let’s talk about it.

I’m gonna break this one down into numbered segments because there is a lot of meat on this cow, and I need to butcher it all.

Is it just the cocaine talking?

Short answer: no. Though the drug can lead to appetite suppression, altered body fat storage, and other things, I hypothesize that there’s a LOT more to it than that; there are so many layers to this onion.

What started this disaster?

When I reflect on when I first became aware of my body's appearance, I think of the 2000s. Low-rise jeans were the real kicker. Constantly thinking about what your stomach looked like, showing your butt, and an awful cacophony of ‘wow, I look horrible in these’. Their comeback has made me want to stick daggers into my eyeballs. If you ever catch me wearing low-rise jeans, call my mom— because someone has clearly taken over my body and I am a woman possessed by fads. The models standing outside of Abercrombie and all the hot people on billboards were bad enough back then. Now kids are seeing ads for Ozempic on TV and still seeing those same billboards?! Good grief.

Is this a common issue?

I sat down for an “interview” with one of my best friends, Brooke Fagley. If you know Brooke, you know she is a tall diva who is a genuine ray of sunshine in people's lives, especially mine! So I wanted to compare our backgrounds and see if there were a few commonalities between us and our upbringing. One thing we agreed on was that a mix of Ozempic and eating disorders is ruining celebrities, specifically young women. You look at people like Brittany Broski and Barbie Ferreria, who were body-positive bad bitches, who are now hopping on the Ozempic train. It’s disheartening. 

Now, let me make it clear, wanting to lose weight isn’t a bad thing. When it’s done in a healthy and natural way, it can actually be very good for you. But using a drug as a cheat code is not the solution women should be looking for. It is a catalyst for thinking you have to keep the weight off, no matter what, by any means necessary. Appetite suppressants, calorie counting, and monitoring what you eat to a concerning degree are all connected to this larger idea. Bulimia nervosa, binge eating and purging, and anorexia are all making an awful comeback to the main stage. That was something I wanted to punch in with Brooke. 

We discussed the comments that could be made as we grew. Nobody ever commented when you looked “bigger”, because that would make them an asshole, but it would always be when you got skinnier – even today! The skinny legend jokes have altered over the years, but it is always a huge compliment when someone says you look thinner. It’s a sense of pride. “Oh, what are you doing? How are you so fit now?” Well, Denise, we walk up and down forty hills and flights of stairs a day at this school! That’s how. But even as we were younger, playing sports and being active like all kids should be, some relatives would always compliment when you looked noticeably leaner or stronger. Nothing that was bad or that ever disheartened you, but for me, I always wanted to keep myself that way. I still do, even at 20.

I think the biggest help for our generation specifically was the cultural shift to “thick thighs save lives” and brands becoming more inclusive with their clothing campaigns, like Target and Old Navy. Body positivity was a movement for big companies. “It was a movement, because it was a trend,” said Brooke. “I would see models who are 5’11 wearing an extra small. And I’m 5’10 – and I wear a large! I always wondered how the hell these models are fitting into these?” Now, she’s 5’2”. I am 5’5”, and played soccer my whole life. I got some thighs and a butt (not to flex). I’ve been fitting into size 6 jeans since I was 13. Yet these models have been wearing a size 2 for decades. The standards haven’t changed, just the marketing.

Being a woman sucks. Growing into yourself just as a human being sucks even more.  Just take a deep breath, count to ten, and realize you are hot and sexy and so very cool, no matter what is trending or what you look like. Take a page from Lady Gaga. Rejoice and love yourself today – ‘cause, baby, you were born this way!