Okay, I need to rant about this.
There have been many blog posts circulating lately about the newest single by Meghan Trainor, All About That Bass. It may be one of the catchiest songs I have ever heard in my existence. I admit that I have found myself strutting my stuff and dancing with the broom while sweeping my office when this particular song begins to play.
Here it is for those who haven't heard it before:
The problem that has been arising is that people are seeing this song as body shaming girls who don't have curves in ‘all the right places’, as the song states, or enough ‘booty’, and so on. I am 100% against body shaming whether it be shaming someone who is pin-thin or lumpy. I hate that she refers to thin folks as skinny bi ..witches. So not cool. And the fact that she brings up that it's what guys want? Ugh don't even get my started on that. I am totally with those who are upset with the nature of this song, but I also am playing devil’s advocate. I, being a bigger girl myself, see another side of this song, too.
I am so sick of hearing all this ‘But you're so pretty! You're not fat!' crap. You know what? I am. I am big girl and I know it. I embrace it. Don't try to tell me I'm not. And just because I’m bigger that most doesn't mean I don’t love myself any less. I LOVE the way I look. I am confident in it. I am proud of it, in fact. I do not need people telling me that I am ‘still pretty anyway’. I am beautiful no matter what my size and my size should not dictate whether I am labeled beautiful. I mean, yeah I could afford to use a few, but I'm not going to sit here and get butt hurt about it. It is incredibly degrading when girls who are already struggling with their size get told that they're STILL beautiful, or that they're pretty ANYWAY. Everyone is beautiful. Period. End of story. No if, ans, buts, stills, or anyways. They just are.
With that being said, part of me was refreshed to actually hear a song cheering on us big girls. In a society that is all about appearances and the need for perfection, it was nice to hear a song that was introducing the idea that perfect doesn't have to be small. Perfect CAN be big and I think that’s what the song was meant to portray. Now, again, seeing the opposite side of things, society’s idea of perfect shouldn't be just big, and it shouldn't just be small. It shouldn't really be anything at all. But reality is, this is the way society works and there is not a darn thing we can do about it except for just accept everything for what it is. You're a big girl with lumps and a cottage cheese butt and all the fun extra skin? Cool. Rock it. Strut it. You're a small boned, fine featured, high metabolismed chick with visible hip bones and collar bones that you can actually see? Great. Own it. You're someone with a little bit of everything mixed around? YOU DO YOU GIRLFRIEND.
The point is, the song is what it is and I don't think we should go around shaming it for what it is, either. I think we need to step back and look at the big picture. It doesn't matter if you're tall, short, fat, skinny, or in-between; you need to be confident in what you've been given and forget what society says is perfect. I think we've had our heads stuck up our rears (excuse the expression) for so long that we've forgotten that we are all our own versions of perfect and that’s all we'll ever be. And we need to be satisfied in that. Plain and simple.
End.
Of.
Rant.
Disclaimer: I still don't understand what she's referring to by 'that bass'. Is it her butt? I don't know this kind of lingo. Typical Gracia.
xoxo,
gp
