It’s time for a rant. I am a passionate feminist, and get annoyed about how much it sucks to be a woman in this world at least three times a day. There are endless ways in which our society is sexist, from the pattern of victim blaming in cases of sexual assaults to unfair wages, slut-shaming, the sexual harassment that almost every woman I know has experienced at least once (and it’s more like at least once a week), etc. etc. I could go on forever, but this article is focusing on one issue in particular: HOW MUCH THE MEDIA HATES THE NATURAL FEMALE BODY.
One of the most profitable photographs the paparazzi can take is an unflattering picture of a female celebrity in her bikini at the beach. These types of images are sold to major news outlets and magazines at extortionate prices every single day, and never fail to be plastered all over the front pages and the internet for millions to criticise. We need to start considering the damage caused by these body-shaming articles, which has been going on for years and is still happening now.
These articles often centre around one particular subject which is…wait for it…that WOMEN HAVE CELLULITE. How does this so frequently make front page news??? Sources differ slightly, but it is reported that 90-98% of women have cellulite. Cellulite is normal and nearly all women have it, but the discourse of hatred against the female body is such a selling point for newspapers that it comes up again and again (and again).
I am a dress size 10-12, and I have a large bum and thighs. Therefore, (obviously), I have cellulite on those parts of my body. I am trying to become more accepting of myself and the natural parts of my body, but for years I have been hugely self-conscious about the way my legs look. I hate wearing shorts in the summer, or having to expose the tops of my legs whilst in a bikini at the beach. These articles which shame women for their cellulite make me so angry, as I realised a few years ago that this hatred of my own body is so ingrained in me – I was 14 when I started to notice my own cellulite after being surrounded by the media’s frankly disgusting presentation of it. These articles teach us women to hate a part of ourselves which we cannot change.
Since nearly all women have cellulite, it is a normal part of the female body, but it is so demonised and slated by mainstream media that we have all been indoctrinated into being repulsed by it. But here’s the thing- IF WE WERE TAUGHT THAT CELLULITE WAS NORMAL NO ONE WOULD FIND IT ‘GROSS’. Cellulite, which is simply dimples of fat, occurs largely due to the structure of female skin. Men and woman have different structures of their fat cell chambers, which is the main reason that women are more likely to have cellulite than men (if the opposite were true and men were predisposed to getting cellulite, I guarantee that they wouldn’t be shamed like women are.) The female body also naturally has a higher percentage of fat due to changes which occur during puberty, preparing the body to potentially carry children. Even more annoyingly, a large bum is considered as particularly attractive in society today, but we are so used to seeing airbrushed and photoshopped images of such bums that the world seems to go into meltdown when lo and behold – a natural ‘fat booty’ ACTUALLY SHOWS EVIDENCE OF THE FAT THAT IT IS MADE UP OF.
Basically, to any women reading this: I urge you to embrace your cellulite (it’s not a ‘flaw’, it’s just a part of being a woman), and be confident about your body. We’ve been taught to hate cellulite, so as a big SUCK IT to the media, we all need to learn to love it. SUMMER 2017- WEAR YOUR DIMPLES WITH PRIDE.