October 8, 2015
Until just recently, I was
having a hard time trying to come up with a concept to talk about in this
blog. I know that I don't write in this
space as much as I used to, but I still want to try and write at least three or
four entries a week so that it doesn't look like I have completely abandoned
it.
But this is one time in which I
was inspired to write about something after it showed up in my news feed on one
of my social media accounts. And I warn
you ahead of time...it's not going to be pretty.
You know how on Facebook, they
have this feature where they display the Top 10 Trending News Stories that are
happening at that moment? Well,
sometimes they talk about some serious issues like the upcoming Canadian
elections on October 19 (please vote, everyone!) or the tragic shootings at a
community college in Oregon (my thoughts are with the families of those who
were killed or wounded). Most of the
time though, it's mindless fluff and stuff that we don't care about.
(Seriously, one week I checked
my news feed, and four of the ten news stories had to do with one of the
Kardashians. Seriously, Kardashian
family...you do absolutely nothing newsworthy.
Just go away! Yes, Caitlyn
Jenner's transition from male to female was major news once upon a time, but
that moment has passed.)
Sorry. I feel compelled to rant about the
Kardashians at least once per week. I'm
better now.
Anyway, one of the stories had
to do with Vin Diesel. You might know
him from his work on "The Fast and the Furious" films...also known as
the film franchise that absolutely refuses to die.
So, he was on vacation
somewhere, and you know how when celebrities go on vacation, there is always
someone there with a camera in hand to snap a photo of them because they have
no life other than to stalk those who do?
Well, a recent picture of Vin
Diesel submerged online, and when you compare it to another photo taken right
around the time that he was filming one of the Fast and Furious films,
well...there is a bit of a difference.
The photo on the left is an
older photo. The one on the right is
the new photo. And really, the only
difference that I can see is that Vin Diesel's midsection has changed a little.
Yes, Vin Diesel has what many
people refer to as a "dad bod".
And you know what? It doesn't
matter to me in the slightest. I mean,
when you look at it, people who star in action films go through a lot to get to
the physical shape that they are required to have to fit the right look. They exercise six hours a day, eat protein
rich meals, and basically live life like a contestant on "The Biggest
Loser". After all that training
and all that work, when a movie wraps up, isn't it completely natural to relax
and do whatever you want afterwards? I
mean, I'm sure that by the time "Fast and Furious 14" comes out,
he'll be back to fighting shape in no time.
And another thing to
consider? Vin Diesel is 48 years
old. Last time I checked, 48 is
considered middle-age. And last time I
checked, the majority of 48 year olds I know have less than perfect figures due
to a slowing metabolism and aging bones and muscles. In short, Vin Diesel is like any other normal man in the world.
So, that's why it makes me very
sad to see so many ignorant people commenting negatively about the new
photo. I mean, yes, it is a bit of a
jarring comparison, but so what?
Besides, I'm noticing a bit of
a double standard when it comes to body types and people commenting on said
body types, and I think that's what upsets me most.
Just to throw out a fictional
example, let's take a female star of the same movie series. Let's look at Jordana Brewster. Now, I could look at a picture of her now
and say that she is one incredibly beautiful woman. Now, I would imagine that had she gained a few extra pounds
around the midsection, there would still be those jerks on social media that
would make incredibly nasty comments.
However, we're in a time where people are now starting to realize that
comments like that are unacceptable and that we should be standing up for
plus-sized women instead of ridiculing them.
Don't get me wrong. We still have a long way to go as a society,
but when it comes to plus-sized women, I think we're becoming less jerky
towards them and more accepting...which is how we should have been all along.
So here's my question? Why is it not okay to body shame women, but
it's perfectly fine to make men feel inadequate about their own bodies?
Here's fact for you. Men can be just as insecure about our bodies
as women can. To this day, I still hate
taking off my shirt in public, and whenever I have to change clothes in a
change room, I always try to hide in a corner away from everyone else. Being husky my whole life, I've never really
have that much confidence looking in the mirror, or even showing myself off to
other people. And part of the reason
why that was the case was because of thoughtless comments from people who
publicly shamed me because I was fat.
Here's fact. Did you know that male eating disorders are
becoming more and more evident, especially in young men aged 15-24? There is even an organization for men who
have eating disorders called "NAMED", where men can seek assistance.
It's why I couldn't stand by
"comedienne" Nicole Arbour for her thoughtless and cruel fat-shaming
video that she seemingly has no remorse in making. I honestly think that if we had less people like her in the world
and more people who were understanding, then maybe there wouldn't be this much
stigma about body types.
The fact of the matter is that
most of us who are fat want to lose the weight, not necessarily for vanity
issues, but for health reasons. And
frankly, people who feel the need to treat people like garbage because they
happen to weigh more than they do...they might think that they are doing us a
favour, but really they are just contributing to the shattered self-esteem that
some of us have.
I was the person who when
someone told me that I needed to lose a few pounds, I would grab a box of
Twinkies and eat the whole box right in front of them to get them to leave me
alone. But that doesn't work. It just gives them more incentive to be
cruel.
You want to know what does
work? Building people up. Being part of a team. Support from friends and family. To me, being around people you love is a
natural appetite suppressant. Trust
me. It works.
So you know what, Vin
Diesel? I support you. You go out there and you show off your body
like a man. Anyone who says anything
nasty about you...well, you just ignore them.
Or brag that you are worth millions.
Either way, it'll shut them up.
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