Image Source: Wikipedia

Body forms do not come made a certain way. Different people have different kinds of physiques and subjective perceptions of how healthy they are. Not everyone skinny is starving themselves of food or are unhealthy, and the same goes for the fat bodies. 

The film industry has always been a little less kind when it came to appreciating people with unique bodies, distinct features, and different physiques. Luckily, people have finally let go of their old ways and have started respecting all kinds of bodies. Thanks to the many celebs who frequently speak out about body positivity and how there is so much happiness and loving one's body, people have started coming around and appreciating their diverse bodies. After all, life is more than the size of clothes you wear. 

“I want to normalize my body. And not just be like, ‘Ooh, look at this cool movement. Being fat is body-positive.’ No, being fat is normal,” told Lizzo, the “Truth Hurts” to Vogue in October 2020. Lizzo is a fierce body positivity advocate, and her social media is full of posts of her admiring her big, bulked self. “I think now I owe it to the people who started this to not just stop here. We have to make people uncomfortable again so that we can continue to change.”

As stated earlier, body positivity goes both ways. If a fat person is not necessarily gorging on junk food, being skinny is also not an invitation for people to continuously advise someone on how to put on weight. 

Back in July 2021, when a Twitter user said that "Hollywood" was "putting pressure" on Ginger Zee, the Good Morning America meteorologist, the anchor shared her battle with body dysmorphia and anorexia. 

Replying to the Twitter user, she wrote: “Hmmm, I rarely get called skinny (athletic more often) — have a BMI of around 21 — I would think this is about right for me 🙂 I’ve weighed the same (barring pregnancy) for almost two decades. Definitely not Hollywood."

Iskra Lawrence, a model, and a known figure to speak for body positivity, also talked about her own experience on this journey with Us Weekly. She shared in January 2019 that after being “consumed with trying to fit one ideal … I really had to go on a journey of self-discovery.” “It’s all in your mindset. For me, it’s realizing that my body is my home. So, there can’t be anything wrong with it. It’s mine, and it was made in this way. Just got to be grateful for it, and so other people can get in that mirror and find things that you can love and value and appreciate yourself," added the model.

One of the most active players in the field to spread body positivity, Ashley Graham, also has been very vocal about her own adventures when it comes to bodies and the fashion industry. Talking about loving yourself, she said, “I wish that was as easy as saying, ‘Here’s a magic pill.’" “It’s just like doing homework," she added. "You have to put in the effort. So if I want to put in the effort, my effort will be I wake up every morning and I talk to my body.”

Of course, not everyone has reached a similar mindset of positivity and admiration for their body, and several take it out on the internet. They choose to project their own insecurities onto other people and hurt people. Fortunately, celebs have learned the trick to turn a deaf ear towards these trolls. And at other times, when they choose to answer, they make sure that their clap back is worth a read. 

Alicia Silverstone

The Clueless actress recently flipped off people who called her fat for an old photo. She said, “Damn. I think I look good 😂🤷🏼‍♀️,” through a January 2022 TikTok video featuring her old photo. The actress chose the music to be GAYLE'S latest TikTok hit, “ABCDEFU.” 

Allison Tolman

January 2022 began with a renewed body-positive movement, and the Fargo alum also took part to share her views. She shared through a lengthy Twitter thread, “Writers and showrunners- take the jokes about weight out of your scripts." “I promise they aren’t funny. And even if they were, they won’t hold up well. And even if they did, they’re unkind — either to your characters and actors or someone in your audience or crew. It’s not worth it,” she said. 

Her Twitter thread continued, "Jokes about weight don’t have to just be jokes about a character's body. They can also include making mention of: - the numbers on a scale 

- what someone eats 

- what size their clothing is 

- exercise and movement"

The rest of the threads read: "And when you’re ready, begin to wrap your mind around removing body descriptors from your scripts altogether, including character descriptions and the names of minor roles."

Providing an alternative to writers, she stated, "I’m not saying you shouldn’t use adjectives. But please don’t say “Linda- the main character’s cousin, thin and witty” unless there’s an actual reason Linda needs to be thin. And please don’t say “Fat Lady In Theater” when you mean “Annoying Lady In Theater”."

With an example, she explained how describing body types is a bizarre way of introducing characters, as she said: "Oh! And also, people think it’s okay if they’re using descriptors for small bodies because they’re considered complementary. Like, you’re auditioning for “Skinny Intern," congratulations! But do you see THAT IS THE EXACT POINT, AND SURELY YOU UNDERSTAND HOW WEIRD THAT IS."

She ended with, "The audience only knows the values you assign to different body types if you have characters saying lines about them. But the rest of your script? That’s your crew, writers room, everyone in the office, executives, creative partners- all the people helping you make your show."

The new ages are a brilliant time to let go of old prejudices and appreciate people in all forms.