We were gonna take a week off… but this episode was born after we read an article online this weekend that made us see red. 

WHAT THE HELL WAS IT?

The article in question is from the New York Post and is called “Bye-bye booty: Heroin chic is back”. Per usual, we attached the article in its entirety in the show notes if you wanna check it out, but we are gonna hit on the main points real quick-like. 

1. It starts with “From Uggs to low-rise jeans, the fashion world is seeing a resurgence of questionable trends from two decades ago. Now, it seems as though the thin, heroin-chic body of the 1990s and early aughts is also making a comeback.”
   • First of all, let’s discuss the term “heroin chic.” Let’s not glorify heroin use please, it kills thousands of people a year. And people of all shapes and sizes use drugs.
   • It’s almost 2023, why are we still labeling people based on their appearance? 
     • The article is making HUGE assumptions about someone you know nothing about. Knock that shit off. 
     • I’m sure quite a few of our listeners remember when this description of fashion was trendy. Folks were shamed for not having a thigh gap, for not having hip dips, for not looking emaciated, essentially. IDK about you all, but I have no desire to go back to being obsessed with things about my appearance that are not within my control. If you can’t fix it in five seconds, let’s shhhh
2. The article goes on to say “(Daughters of 90s supermodels) are further evoking the 90s with both their famous moms and their supremely svelte figures. Not everyone is happy about the trend.”
   • GEE I WONDER WHY. BECAUSE STARVING YOURSELF OR APPEARING TO BE STARVING YOURSELF TO BE THIN IS FUCKING BAD FOR YOU.
     • Again, it’s almost 2023. The strides we’ve made since the early 90’s …. as a reminder, that was over 30 years ago at this point, to get us away from the assumption that thin bodies are the healthiest is remarkable, but there’s still so much work to be done. These stupid fashion trends that are shoved down our throats aren’t very live love laugh of the fashion industry. Not to mention, the message it sends to the young femmes in all of our lives that have been struggling with body image more than ever before since the pandemic started.  
3. But wait! There’s more! “The skinnies sashaying down the runway are a drastic shift from the ‘slim thick’ and body positivity that had been in vogue in recent years with womanly ambassadors such as Lizzo and Megan Thee Stallion putting their full bodies on display.” 
   • Slim thick? You mean normal looking human bodies?
     • What’s up with all the labels? Jesus Christ. 
4. More from the article:“The owner of a pilates studio in New York City, told The Post that she’s seen a continuous rise in class registrations since COVID restrictions were lifted, with her class last week doubling in size as more women seek out the ‘long, lean look.’ Others are turning to more questionable lengths to quickly shed pounds with suddenly trendy diabetes drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy, supposedly popular with celebrities dwindling in stock.”
   • Cool cool. Workout as a form of punishment to be skinny and using drugs not intended for weight loss, for weight loss
     • Ozempic is a type 2 diabetes drug used to manage blood sugar. It also aids weight loss, and is sold as Wegovy to treat obesity. Wegovy is sold at higher doses than Ozempic. Some experts speculate the people driving the shortage of these drugs, both of which are injected, have neither obesity nor diabetes 
     • Wegovy works by mimicking a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) that targets areas of the brain that regulate appetite and food intake.. 

WHY IS THIS LINE OF THOUGHT DANGEROUS?

It’s harmful because it encourages people to use drastic measures to gain a body aesthetic that isn’t healthy or realistic for their genetics. 

1. I thought we banished this shit when we decided Jillian Michaels and the like are just useless body-policing abusive bags of hot air. Ugh. 
2. On Instagram and TikTok, the hashtag #thinspo is banned and redirects users to mental health and eating disorder resources, 
   • From that same NY Post article: “Studies show that eating disorders, specifically among adolescent girls, spiked during the pandemic and a recent study found that TikTok promotes toxic diet culture and glorifies extreme weight loss.”

STOP POLICING OTHER PEOPLE’S BODIES 

If what someone is doing isn’t hurting you or anyone else, mind your own business. What someone else does with their body is none of your concern. Let me repeat that again, what someone else does with their body is none of your concern. 

1. This article felt super judgy, and frankly just pissed us off. You don’t owe anyone an explanation for your lifestyle or your choices, and if they don’t like it… that’s their fucking problem. 
2. Strong bodies can look about a million different ways, we’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: stay in your lane. Just because someone else is doing things a certain way, doesn’t mean you should. 
   • Be proud of the hard work you’ve put in. Don’t let some throwaway puff piece that’s trending on Twitter make you feel bad about your thick thighs and beautiful bubble butt. You’re fucking perfect. 
   • We’d also like to reiterate that we aren’t bashing on people with flat butts and naturally skinny legs either. You’re fucking perfect too. 
     • We have a problem with the idea that it’s okay to starve or overwork yourself to obtain a certain level of thinness.

https://nypost.com/2022/11/02/heroin-chic-is-back-and-curvy-bodies-big-butts-are-out/