Skinny and Proud, Deal with it!

   Here's an article I wrote for TeenY!Naija (an online teen site; teen version of Y!Naija) a few months ago, I thought I should share it here with you:

SKINNY and PROUD, DEAL WITH IT!

‘I am fearfully and wonderfully created in the image of God. I am beautiful’, I tell myself the plain truth. People who make me feel awkward about my body type would be the least of my problems if I had any. It gets really annoying, I’m alive, breathing and well; people ask ‘what’s your dress size?’ I respond ‘I’m a 4 (us)’ , they go ‘wooow, you’re skinny’ and I wonder ‘what’s wrong with my size 4 (us)?’ Just in case you didn’t know, it’s an 8 in UK conversion, does the figure seem better now? Yes, I am human. I am not perfect but I strive towards perfection. There
are times I might feel weird for being as skinny but times like that are rare. Times like that only come when I go shopping – I just get that feeling the designers are after me, all the pretty clothes I see almost never fit. Not forgetting my shoes, it’s a search for “the slim feet”.
Human beings would always be
human beings and ohhh yes they
must make a comment. What’s my
name from humans again? Oh yeah!
‘Lepa’. It’s okay, comment for all I care but going further to ask me those skinny related questions? Why? Is it just a subconscious thing?

TOP QUESTIONS I’M USED TO
1. ‘Do you even eat?’ – I’m like, Really? Is this supposed to be a question? Have you ever heard of something called genes? Or inheritance? Have look at
my family tree, your answer should be there *rolling my eyes*.

2. ‘Where does all the food you eat go?’ – Seriously, if I knew then you
wouldn’t have to ask.

TOP STATEMENTS I’M USED TO
1. ‘OW!, your bone is poking me’
2. ‘If I were skinny like you’
3. ‘Oh wow, she’s so skinny!’ – In
my head I’m like thanks I had no
idea…ugh
4. ‘If you come to my house, you’ll
get fat before you know it’ – excuse
you? Are you trying to say my parents don’t feed me well?.
5. ‘Your body is so amazing, wish I
had that tummy’.
6. ‘You should model, you have
the look’.
7. ‘You should be able to do sports
well’.

TOP THINGS I’M USED TO
1. When someone grabs my wrist
and instantly goes ‘ohh wow’.
2. People making a game out of
wrapping their fingers around my
wrist.
3. My younger sibling thicker than
me.
4. Trying methods of gaining weight but seeing no change.
5. Being too bony/skinny to cuddle
with.
6. People staring at the amount of
food I get.
7. Feeling awkward when my male
friends are talking about how hot
thicker girls are.
8. Resisting all forms of physical
movement in fear that I might lost the weight I don’t have.

I could go on and on and on with the questions, statements and things but…what does it matter anyway? People just never understand that if I say I want to gain weight, I’m not asking for fat and I don’t hate my body. I just know that I would feel a little better with just a little weight or a little flesh to my bones.
Quote whatever, ‘bones are for dogs’ or ‘real women have curves’ – Just hold it there you!! Skinny people have curves too, just in smaller proportions.

No I do not starve myself. I am
naturally skinny. I eat whatever I want which could be probably more than you eat. So why are you allowed to love your ‘curves’ but it’s weird or wrong that I love my bones? You’re telling me to gain weight, why don’t you lose weight? I am not anorexic and you are not obese. If you can feel amazing the way you are, I can feel amazing the way I am. It’s not about how fat, curvy, thick or skinny we are.  IT IS ABOUT HOW HEALTHY. That is what I am – HEALTHY.

(**This article was written for TeenY! and remains a property of TeenY!)