The philosophy that thinner is better is killing people.
If you’re looking around the Internet for health tips, you may come across the word “thinspiration.” Thinspiration — the combination of the words thin and inspiration — is either pictures of thin individuals or sayings about healthy living that inspire people to lose weight or be healthy. Wanting to eat healthy and live an active lifestyle doesn’t sound all that bad, but sometimes, it can be taken too far.
You’ve probably heard about something known as a thigh gap. Simply put, it’s a space between a woman’s thighs when she is standing with her feet together. Possessors of the elusive thigh gap — spoiler alert: there are not many — are considered some of the most beautiful women or so the media would like you to think. However, there is no real reason to have a thigh gap. The thigh gap beauty standard began a few years ago as the brainchild of Photoshop-loving marketers looking to create a virtually unachievable body standard. So, it’s no surprise that more women don’t have thigh gaps — it’s basically a manufactured product. Marketers perpetuate the trend to lower women’s self-esteem and make them more susceptible advertising targets.
Since its advent, the trend has become a popular weight loss ideal on social media. Adding to the momentum, thigh gaps are also seen in celebrity tabloids and on the runway — Victoria’s Secret Angels come to mind, among others. It seems almost all celebrities and advertisers are championing Kate Moss’s motto: “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” Clearly, Moss has not had birthday cake-flavored ice cream, because I would beg to differ.
However, celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Kim Kardashian and Beyoncé stand out among the rest. These celebrities are not stick thin and do not have thigh gaps, but are still considered beautiful — some might even say “booty-ful,” but that’s another story. Although they may tame the thigh gap craze to some extent, they are still under societal pressure. For example, Beyoncé has recently been accused of Photoshopping a thigh gap in some of her social media photos. The fact that such a powerful and influential individual has succumbed to body image issues shows that this problem can affect anyone.
So, you might be thinking, “What’s the big deal?” The truth is that, for most women, a thigh gap is unrealistic and sometimes impossible. Whether or not a woman can have a thigh gap comes down to genetics. To have a thigh gap, you must have the proper pelvic structure, body type and tendon length, but the chances of having all three proper “ingredients” are unlikely. In other words, a woman can be a size 0 and not have a thigh gap simply because her genetics won’t allow it.
These facts have not discouraged some from trying to achieve a thigh gap. The quest for acceptance has led many girls, some of them as young as elementary school students, to develop eating disorders and excessive exercise habits to create a thigh gap. The National Eating Disorders Association found that 20 million U.S. women suffer from some form of
clinically diagnosed eating disorder. This is an alarming statistic considering that eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness, according to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders. Championing the thigh gap perpetuates these sickening statistics.
Those of you who naturally have thigh gaps may feel people judge you for it. Don’t let anyone make you feel as if you have to apologize for your body. Your natural thigh gap is great, but it doesn’t define your beauty. If you’ve developed dangerous and unhealthy habits to maintain a certain body image, please stop and get the proper help you need. I promise you will be beautiful, with or without a thigh gap.
To all you guys out there: you may think this problem doesn’t concern you, but this is also your problem. The media is constantly trying to tell you what the “ideal” woman looks like: not too fat, not too thin, has a thigh gap, and so on. Do not continue to accept what the media tells you is “beautiful.” If you continue to comply with the media’s wishes, you will help perpetuate dangerous behaviors such as eating disorders and the negative consequences that accompany them.
Basically, we value thinness over healthiness and such a philosophy comes at a high price. That is why women and girls of all ages and races hurt their bodies to achieve the “ideal body.” Rather than focusing on creating a thigh gap at the cost of our health, we should be promoting healthy eating and moderate exercise. The end goal should be leading a healthier and more active life, not obtaining an irrelevant body characteristic.
