Rihanna Shut Down Body Shaming, and We Should too

Let’s face it, being overweight in North America isn’t easy.

You can have a teeny, microscopic layer of fat around your thighs and tummy and still be called out for being unhealthy. Oh, and if you’re someone who’s in the spotlight, good luck to you.

In the last week we’ve seen Rihanna being attacked by some bros who clearly have nothing better to do. After a few photos surfaced of the Work singer looking like she might have put on some weight (while rocking it), Barstool Sports, which is run by a bunch of men, posted a distasteful article that has since been deleted.

They titled the article “Is Rihanna Going to Make Fat the Hot New Trend?” which left us in total shock. The author’s main concern was that Rihanna’s new “trend” would influence all other girls (OH NO), so “it’s time to worry if you’re not a guy who fancies himself a chubby chaser.”

Yes, they actually said that. And a few other horrible things, including commenting on her “pushing 180,” which they call “a tough world to stomach.” I mean, how dare we not cater our bodies to what men find attractive?

The article was rightfully under a whole lot of scrutiny online and gained rebuttals from fans and media outlets such as Buzzfeed. But the bad gal showed us that she could definitely defend herself. I mean she is Rihanna after all.

RiRi took to Instagram yesterday to post a funny meme featuring hip-hop artist Gucci Mane at two different body states side by side, reading “If you can’t handle me at my 2007 Gucci Mane, you don’t deserve me at my 2017 Gucci Mane.” The post has recieved nearly 700,000 likes by supporters.

With a simple crying emoji to accompany the post, we can tell the fashion icon clearly isn’t giving the haters what they want. I mean think about it, does she really care what men hiding behind computer screens who would never be able to land a girl like her have to say?

But the big picture is that posts like Barstool Sports’ are affecting young girls and boys around the world who have access to the Internet. It makes room for more body shaming and the assumption that it is OK to make people feel bad about their size.

Imagine being a child who constantly sees negative posts about bodies just like theirs and a glorification of “beach bodies.” Imagine them taking the information they receive from the Internet and using it as a bullying tactic. Then, watch how the targets’ low self-esteem arises into adulthood and follows them for the rest of their lives.

It isn’t pleasant, but it’s real.

We need to stop categorizing people based on their bodies. We need to stop teaching young girls and boys that being skinny is an accurate representation of perfect health, just like being overweight isn’t an accurate representation of bad health.

And we really need to stop letting men tell women how their bodies should look.

The post Rihanna Shut Down Body Shaming, and We Should too appeared first on FASHION Magazine.