"Size 0" Rant

ash14vwb · Jan 13th, 2008, 01:49 PM

Hey all...

I need to rant & I hope I've come to the right place. I can never say this to my family members/friends because they think I'm complaining about something I shouldn't be, but I disagree. If you feel the same, please don't post; this is for support, not negativity. This has bothered me for quite a while, but has gotten to me more lately because everytime I read a gossip/women's magazine (Star, Glamour) or watch a health/beauty television show (America's Next Top Model, How to Look Good Naked), I read/hear things like "C'mon, not everyone can be a size 0" or "The Size 0 Trend is Unrealistic and Unhealthy" or "She's too skinny! She's a Size 0!" etc etc etc.

I myself am a size 0, & it gets me really upset to hear these things. I don't think that the media or public should portray being a small size, for whatever reason the "0" as something negative, when really they mean "People shouldn't starve themselves to BE an unrealistic size (any size!) if their body type/height & weight is not meant to be that" or "Trying to be thinner than healthy for your body is bad for you" or something like that. It's not about the size itself, it's about the ideas that come along with it... that women starve themselves or are made to feel bad because they are not a certain size, but the issue shouldn't be addressed by attacking the size itself.

I say this because I am a young girl (21) and only 5'0. I still get comments about how short I am, and although my confidence is pretty good, I feel very un-womanly because of it when I hear it enough. I am a size 0 BECAUSE i am only 5'0 tall and take care of my weight by consistent diet & exercise to be HEALTHY, not "SKINNY". It's as simple as that. Women can be a size 0 naturally, but that doesn't mean they look like sticks. I CERTAINLY do not. I'm normal, and I would like to feel that when I look in the media, rather than telling every woman who is NOT a size 0 that they're normal and that a 0 isn't, instead that a 0 is just as normal given your weight & height & not that you are trying to be that size unnaturally. At my age, I need just as much reassurance that I am "normal" as other women do, but when I look at women's mags, who should be helping to portray a positive message, they make a 0 seem "abnormal." They discount the fact that the size isn't the case, it's what some women do to attain it.

The bottom line is, I think that the point that is being made- that trying to be thinner than your body is letting you, or making yourself feel bad/guilty because you don't weigh/look a certain way- should NOT be directed at a clothing size, because a size 0 doesn't mean "starvation," it can mean "short & small," which means that a size 0 woman can have just as many hangups about her body (feeling un-womanly, not tall enough) as a woman who is not a 0. I'd like to think that all women, especially those who read & watch women's mags/programs, do not brush off women who are smaller just because they were born SHORT & want to be healthy. I don't have any less body hangups/issues/struggles than a woman who is JUST as normal at a size 6 or 10.

Does anyone else notice this or feel this way? I wish I could have more positivity from magazines than another article saying why a size fricken 0 is something bad, and feelign like I don't count. I'm not anorexic & 5'10 and a 0; I'm naturally short. So what? Magazines and programs need to redirect what they are trying to say from the size to the issue itself.

alexis77 · Jan 13th, 2008, 01:56 PM

Very good points! Some people are naturally small and it is not a bad thing. I agree that starving and constant dieting to be a smaller size is wrong.

lv-lover · Jan 13th, 2008, 03:40 PM

Great post. I agree with everything you said. Some people are very small boned. I was watching "How to Look Good Naked" - overweight is being unhealthy, and being short/naturally skinny is not!

katheryn · Jan 13th, 2008, 04:17 PM

I agree with your post. All the size 0s I know are short women who are naturally petite and look healthy at this size. No one should be made to feel bad about their size, as long as it is healthy. That statement goes for both ends of the spectrum -- it's not healthy to be too thin, and it's not healthy to be too fat. The focus should be on health, not the number.

SimplyMe · Jan 13th, 2008, 05:21 PM

I totally connect with you! No really..I'm also a size 0 myself and I'm 5'2 so it's really normal. I don't even consider myself skinny! My friends, on the other hand, are averagely 5'6 and they ONLY wear size 2. Everyone thinks that that's normal and I'm not. But for god sake, they're 4 inches taller! So the ratio is basically the same. But everyone picks on me and assumes I'm ana. I don't think it's too fair at all either.

azhangie · Jan 13th, 2008, 06:53 PM

I'm a size 0 and apparently that makes me a gymwhore and a "diet freak" according to my friends and mom. My friends literally make fun of me for going to the gym and not eating fatty foods that you're not suppose to be eating in the first place...its bad for your heart!!! I actually eat more than a few of my friends; some of them want to lose weight but cant...or they eat once a day hoping it'll help (but ofc ourse not...they just binge the next day or that night). They make sarcastic comments and its annoying...like you swear i wanna live like a pig.

Altho i do have one comment to make, i'd like to see designers make size 0 jeans that aren't soooo long! Every pair of jeans i own, i've had to have it hemmed at least 5 inches. I do not even want to talk about rock and republic jeans!!!

missmustard · Jan 13th, 2008, 07:28 PM

I can't relate, but I do think you're making very good points. One of my coworkers, who I'm kinda close with, is also a size 0 (but she's a bit taller). She gets mean, snarky comments all the time and it gets in our nerves because she really does eat healthily. Heck, she even eats more than I do! Some people are just genetically inclined to being lean; nothing wrong with that.

All those shows just send all kinds of mixed signals. I agree they should be more clear on the message they're trying to channel. I know for a fact I will never fit into even a size 3, because my genetics carry huge hips. But I can always try and be healthy in MY size! Which is what I believe we all should channel to.

Liz_x3 · Jan 13th, 2008, 07:44 PM

I completely agree with you. People don't like hearing negative remarks about their size whether it's on the upper or lower end! The reason a size 0 gets a bad rep is because the average size is much higher then that. It could be part jealousy? I'm not a size 0 (size 6) so I don't know for sure.

John 5 · Jan 13th, 2008, 07:51 PM

I agree.. very good points proven!

I'm always getting negative comments about my thin build...

I always wondered what size of jeans I was in girl's, so I tried on a pair Friday. I was a size 0 [usually a 28 x 32 in men's].

HubbaWubba · Jan 13th, 2008, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ash14vwb

Hey all...

Does anyone else notice this or feel this way? I wish I could have more positivity from magazines than another article saying why a size fricken 0 is something bad, and feelign like I don't count. I'm not anorexic & 5'10 and a 0; I'm naturally short. So what? Magazines and programs need to redirect what they are trying to say from the size to the issue itself.

Oh the IRONY!

Isn't that being a hypocrite? You can call someone that is tall and a small size "anorexic" but if someone calls you "too skinny" or other things BUT you are under a certain height that you just ranted about, you get upset? Practice what you are trying to preach first.

Just saying.

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Traci · Jan 13th, 2008, 08:01 PM

I'm a size 0-2 also! I have always been small all of my life and have always received comments on it. It wasn't until I was in my 20's that I would even wear a short sleeve shirt out in public because my arms were so small. I hated it when I was young because everyone made fun of me and would ask me questions like, "do you eat?" and such. I mean, that is the equivalent of asking an overweight person, "HOW much do you eat?".

I eat like crazy and am one of those iced latte and a donut people and I'm talking at least three times a day in summer! LOL!! (I know it's not good for me, but I have always been able to eat what I want and no weight gain)

I gained some weight when I had two kids and I loved it because now I look "normal" as far as a small person. I have always hated being judged because of my size.

Litigatrix · Jan 13th, 2008, 08:24 PM

It doesn't sound like most of these comments are directed at you personally, so if I were you, I would try not to take it personally. There are obviously people out there, like you, for whom size 0 is a healthy size. For me, size 0 is not realistic, and it's possible that I might express that size 0 is impossible, but it certainly wouldn't be directed at you or other arguably healthy size 0s.

ash14vwb · Jan 13th, 2008, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by azhangie

I'm a size 0 and apparently that makes me a gymwhore and a "diet freak" according to my friends and mom. My friends literally make fun of me for going to the gym and not eating fatty foods that you're not suppose to be eating in the first place...its bad for your heart!!! I actually eat more than a few of my friends; some of them want to lose weight but cant...or they eat once a day hoping it'll help (but ofc ourse not...they just binge the next day or that night). They make sarcastic comments and its annoying...like you swear i wanna live like a pig.

Altho i do have one comment to make, i'd like to see designers make size 0 jeans that aren't soooo long! Every pair of jeans i own, i've had to have it hemmed at least 5 inches. I do not even want to talk about rock and republic jeans!!!

haha ~ i can relate to both of your comments... people should be happy if you want to be healthy, not try to knock you!! and i'm still searching for the perfect size "0 short" that actually IS made for somebody short, lol

Leelee · Jan 13th, 2008, 08:44 PM

I see your point! One of my sisters is extremely petite. She said she feels like a freak when people comment on her small size. She was just born that way.

I also have a niece that I swear is smaller than a size 0 if that is possible. Everything about her is small too; her frame, her bones, her general physique.

I'm not teeny -- just average and it takes a lot of work to stay that way -- but I honestly agree with you. The unnecessary criticism and negativity expressed toward naturally petite women is wrong.

jenniferelaine · Jan 13th, 2008, 08:51 PM

I completely understand where you are coming from! I'm 5'5 & I wear a size 0 (sometimes 00 & sometimes a 2). I lost weight to get to this size (not where I was aiming), by eating HEALTHY & working out daily. I run marathons/duathlons & am going to train for a triathlon. Everyone applauds that UNTIL they ask me what size jeans I wear (like its their business anyway!) & then I get it!

As soon as you hear "exercise" & "size 0" in the same sentence, it all starts & it drives me nuts! I'm not starving, I'm just being active! Some people like the OP are naturally small & others, like me, lost weight & are athletic & thats where my body settled.

And don't get me started on vanity sizing! What the "OMG-size 0" peeps forget to take into account is that 20 years ago size 0 didn't exist! I guarantee that had I been this size (5'5 & 120 lbs) in 1988, I'd have worn a size 6!

Jan 13th, 2008, 01:49 PM	#1
ash14vwb ♥ coach love ♥ Location: jersey girl	"Size 0" Rant Hey all... I need to rant & I hope I've come to the right place. I can never say this to my family members/friends because they think I'm complaining about something I shouldn't be, but I disagree. If you feel the same, please don't post; this is for support, not negativity. This has bothered me for quite a while, but has gotten to me more lately because everytime I read a gossip/women's magazine (Star, Glamour) or watch a health/beauty television show (America's Next Top Model, How to Look Good Naked), I read/hear things like "C'mon, not everyone can be a size 0" or "The Size 0 Trend is Unrealistic and Unhealthy" or "She's too skinny! She's a Size 0!" etc etc etc. I myself am a size 0, & it gets me really upset to hear these things. I don't think that the media or public should portray being a small size, for whatever reason the "0" as something negative, when really they mean "People shouldn't starve themselves to BE an unrealistic size (any size!) if their body type/height & weight is not meant to be that" or "Trying to be thinner than healthy for your body is bad for you" or something like that. It's not about the size itself, it's about the ideas that come along with it... that women starve themselves or are made to feel bad because they are not a certain size, but the issue shouldn't be addressed by attacking the size itself. I say this because I am a young girl (21) and only 5'0. I still get comments about how short I am, and although my confidence is pretty good, I feel very un-womanly because of it when I hear it enough. I am a size 0 BECAUSE i am only 5'0 tall and take care of my weight by consistent diet & exercise to be HEALTHY, not "SKINNY". It's as simple as that. Women can be a size 0 naturally, but that doesn't mean they look like sticks. I CERTAINLY do not. I'm normal, and I would like to feel that when I look in the media, rather than telling every woman who is NOT a size 0 that they're normal and that a 0 isn't, instead that a 0 is just as normal given your weight & height & not that you are trying to be that size unnaturally. At my age, I need just as much reassurance that I am "normal" as other women do, but when I look at women's mags, who should be helping to portray a positive message, they make a 0 seem "abnormal." They discount the fact that the size isn't the case, it's what some women do to attain it. The bottom line is, I think that the point that is being made- that trying to be thinner than your body is letting you, or making yourself feel bad/guilty because you don't weigh/look a certain way- should NOT be directed at a clothing size, because a size 0 doesn't mean "starvation," it can mean "short & small," which means that a size 0 woman can have just as many hangups about her body (feeling un-womanly, not tall enough) as a woman who is not a 0. I'd like to think that all women, especially those who read & watch women's mags/programs, do not brush off women who are smaller just because they were born SHORT & want to be healthy. I don't have any less body hangups/issues/struggles than a woman who is JUST as normal at a size 6 or 10. Does anyone else notice this or feel this way? I wish I could have more positivity from magazines than another article saying why a size fricken 0 is something bad, and feelign like I don't count. I'm not anorexic & 5'10 and a 0; I'm naturally short. So what? Magazines and programs need to redirect what they are trying to say from the size to the issue itself. __________________ chase a dream ~ find your strength ~ know your heart "to be happy at home is the ultimate result of all ambition." - samuel johnson COACH girl all ready for fall!

Jan 13th, 2008, 01:56 PM	#2
alexis77 Adopt a Greyhound!	Re: "Size 0" Rant Very good points! Some people are naturally small and it is not a bad thing. I agree that starving and constant dieting to be a smaller size is wrong. __________________ Race Cars, Not Dogs...

Jan 13th, 2008, 03:40 PM	#3
lv-lover Member	Re: "Size 0" Rant Great post. I agree with everything you said. Some people are very small boned. I was watching "How to Look Good Naked" - overweight is being unhealthy, and being short/naturally skinny is not! __________________ "On ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur, l'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux"

Jan 13th, 2008, 04:17 PM	#4
katheryn Member	Re: "Size 0" Rant I agree with your post. All the size 0s I know are short women who are naturally petite and look healthy at this size. No one should be made to feel bad about their size, as long as it is healthy. That statement goes for both ends of the spectrum -- it's not healthy to be too thin, and it's not healthy to be too fat. The focus should be on health, not the number. __________________

Jan 13th, 2008, 05:21 PM	#5
SimplyMe Racing With You. Location: Very foggy!	Re: "Size 0" Rant I totally connect with you! No really..I'm also a size 0 myself and I'm 5'2 so it's really normal. I don't even consider myself skinny! My friends, on the other hand, are averagely 5'6 and they ONLY wear size 2. Everyone thinks that that's normal and I'm not. But for god sake, they're 4 inches taller! So the ratio is basically the same. But everyone picks on me and assumes I'm ana. I don't think it's too fair at all either.

Jan 13th, 2008, 06:53 PM	#6
azhangie Piggy Fajita Location: I see cows and hills	Re: "Size 0" Rant I'm a size 0 and apparently that makes me a gymwhore and a "diet freak" according to my friends and mom. My friends literally make fun of me for going to the gym and not eating fatty foods that you're not suppose to be eating in the first place...its bad for your heart!!! I actually eat more than a few of my friends; some of them want to lose weight but cant...or they eat once a day hoping it'll help (but ofc ourse not...they just binge the next day or that night). They make sarcastic comments and its annoying...like you swear i wanna live like a pig. Altho i do have one comment to make, i'd like to see designers make size 0 jeans that aren't soooo long! Every pair of jeans i own, i've had to have it hemmed at least 5 inches. I do not even want to talk about rock and republic jeans!!!

Jan 13th, 2008, 07:28 PM	#7
missmustard Prima Donna Assoluta Location: Monterrey, Mexico	Re: "Size 0" Rant I can't relate, but I do think you're making very good points. One of my coworkers, who I'm kinda close with, is also a size 0 (but she's a bit taller). She gets mean, snarky comments all the time and it gets in our nerves because she really does eat healthily. Heck, she even eats more than I do! Some people are just genetically inclined to being lean; nothing wrong with that. All those shows just send all kinds of mixed signals. I agree they should be more clear on the message they're trying to channel. I know for a fact I will never fit into even a size 3, because my genetics carry huge hips. But I can always try and be healthy in MY size! Which is what I believe we all should channel to. __________________

Jan 13th, 2008, 07:44 PM	#8
Liz_x3 Member	Re: "Size 0" Rant I completely agree with you. People don't like hearing negative remarks about their size whether it's on the upper or lower end! The reason a size 0 gets a bad rep is because the average size is much higher then that. It could be part jealousy? I'm not a size 0 (size 6) so I don't know for sure.

Jan 13th, 2008, 07:51 PM	#9
John 5 Finally 22!!! Location: Houston, TX	Re: "Size 0" Rant I agree.. very good points proven! I'm always getting negative comments about my thin build... I always wondered what size of jeans I was in girl's, so I tried on a pair Friday. I was a size 0 [usually a 28 x 32 in men's]. __________________ Hit me up on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/john5ive Only item on wishlist: H black Barenia CDC Double Tour Bracelet w/ PHW!!!!

Jan 13th, 2008, 08:01 PM	#11
Traci MOD - tastic!	Re: "Size 0" Rant I'm a size 0-2 also! I have always been small all of my life and have always received comments on it. It wasn't until I was in my 20's that I would even wear a short sleeve shirt out in public because my arms were so small. I hated it when I was young because everyone made fun of me and would ask me questions like, "do you eat?" and such. I mean, that is the equivalent of asking an overweight person, "HOW much do you eat?". I eat like crazy and am one of those iced latte and a donut people and I'm talking at least three times a day in summer! LOL!! (I know it's not good for me, but I have always been able to eat what I want and no weight gain) I gained some weight when I had two kids and I loved it because now I look "normal" as far as a small person. I have always hated being judged because of my size. __________________ The blog is back! http://www.tra-world.blogspot.com/

Jan 13th, 2008, 08:24 PM	#12
Litigatrix new 'do, same cat Location: Capitol Hill	Re: "Size 0" Rant It doesn't sound like most of these comments are directed at you personally, so if I were you, I would try not to take it personally. There are obviously people out there, like you, for whom size 0 is a healthy size. For me, size 0 is not realistic, and it's possible that I might express that size 0 is impossible, but it certainly wouldn't be directed at you or other arguably healthy size 0s. __________________ PLEASE do not PM me for authentications. My Collection: http://forum.purseblog.com/your-bag-showcase/litigatrixs-im-modest-collection-144948.html Also, check out the Authentic Spy Picture Reference & Drool! Yay! http://pics.livejournal.com/fendi_spy_list/

Jan 13th, 2008, 08:44 PM	#14
Leelee Up On My Toes! Location: Highland, Maryland	Re: "Size 0" Rant I see your point! One of my sisters is extremely petite. She said she feels like a freak when people comment on her small size. She was just born that way. I also have a niece that I swear is smaller than a size 0 if that is possible. Everything about her is small too; her frame, her bones, her general physique. I'm not teeny -- just average and it takes a lot of work to stay that way -- but I honestly agree with you. The unnecessary criticism and negativity expressed toward naturally petite women is wrong.

Jan 13th, 2008, 08:51 PM	#15
jenniferelaine Member	Re: "Size 0" Rant I completely understand where you are coming from! I'm 5'5 & I wear a size 0 (sometimes 00 & sometimes a 2). I lost weight to get to this size (not where I was aiming), by eating HEALTHY & working out daily. I run marathons/duathlons & am going to train for a triathlon. Everyone applauds that UNTIL they ask me what size jeans I wear (like its their business anyway!) & then I get it! As soon as you hear "exercise" & "size 0" in the same sentence, it all starts & it drives me nuts! I'm not starving, I'm just being active! Some people like the OP are naturally small & others, like me, lost weight & are athletic & thats where my body settled. And don't get me started on vanity sizing! What the "OMG-size 0" peeps forget to take into account is that 20 years ago size 0 didn't exist! I guarantee that had I been this size (5'5 & 120 lbs) in 1988, I'd have worn a size 6!