And the debate about thinspiration carries on…

I wrote a post last year about thinspiration (aka, thinspo) and it’s still garnering some attention. 

I just received this comment, in fact, and I do think the author of it makes some intriguing points (even if I don’t necessarily agree with her):

I think calling it demeaning is incorrect, in my opinion. Obviously your entitled to yours. I don’t get the feeling from it that anyone who looks at thinspo is supposed to be made to feel discusting or of less-worth then those in the pictures, if those viewing it have low self asteam they might… I don’t. To me it is useful.

I don’t hate myself now nor do I absolutely love my body, I just need to lose weight to be healthier and obviously being slim is more attractive then my overweight frame now. Hense why all actresses and models are slim…no matter what anyone says about it, no one wants to see an overweight woman, even a little bit chubby woman prancing about in a movie or showing their lumps and bumps on a catwalk. That would ruin the illusion, the fantasy even. If I was of a healthy BMI I would be a size 10/8… yes some people you see in thinspo are smaller then their healthy weight. If I was a size 8 though, I’d be concidered the most healthy I could be, via doctors, and could probably sit next to some of those thinspo models and not be too far off them! Seeing images of women who have thin bodies simply encourages me not to eat that danish pastry brought in the office or to have diet coke at lunch instead of regular…to achieve my goals.

I’m fed up a little of all this, celebrate normality and womans curves etc…yes, curves are good..but the women displayed and talked about in this arguement are normally overweight or even obese! You know, currently the average size in the UK is a 16, most women of that size would be at the top end of the Overweight section of a BMI chart!! These are the women to be celebrated?? Thats just as unhealthy as someone who eats less then 900 cals a day to maintain a size 6 body, but they are critised. I say stop the critism and help those who need it.

I like thinspo, I am a size 16 and concidered Obese. It helps me. Encourages me.

Help the girl who’s taken it too far and has a ED, but don’t critise something that has been previlant as a weight-loss tool for countless years!

Now, my only concern really is this whole “numbers” game.  Is a size 16 obese, even if a BMI chart says it is?  Is a size 2 or 4 or 6 ”perfect” even if Hollywood says it is? 

I suppose I can see using thinspiration to lose weight — healthfully.  But once you’ve lost the weight, do you feel better about yourself?  Or are you always striving to get just a little smaller?  I remember that slippery slope well… if I could lose two pounds, why not three?  Then four… then five… then…

I’d like to hear your thoughts on this.  Perhaps I am too harsh regarding the whole thinspo debate?  Or maybe I’m not harsh enough.