It never ceases to amaze me…I am always confused over the way society reacts to celebs in regards to the great weight debate.  Take for example lovely Khloe Kardashian.  A beautiful young woman, who was recently wed to her sweetie Lamar Odom, was verbally battered by schadenfreude bloggers who couldn’t wait to comment on how heavy she looked in her wedding gown.  When I look at Khloe’s pictures, I see a healthy, strong young woman who seems happy with her life and her new marriage.  Unfortunately some of the people who commented on the blushing bride were less than flattering, and frankly some even bordered on dispicable.

It seems such a contradiction to me.  We criticize fashion models and actresses for being too thin and even blame them for influencing our children and teens, yet the moment these women put on even an ounce of flesh, or are seen in public eating something other than sea kelp and wheatgrass smoothies, we are all too quick to jump on the “fat” bandwagon.  Some of the names that Khloe had to endure by the more malicious of trolls were almost abusive; some comparing her to a “Yeti” while others spewed vitriol about how she should be put in a pasture.  The moment these young women react to the horrible criticisms by going on a diet and losing some weight, we instantly praise them for being able to fit back into a “curvy” size two.  Since when does anyone who is a size two even remotely have curves, and how does this affect average sized women in regards to their own body image issues?  The whole thing seems distorted to me, and explains why so many people-especially young women- feel dissatisfied with their appearance, even when they should be happy with themselves.

I would like to point out that the average North American woman is five foot four, one hundred and forty pounds, and comes in at a healthy size fourteen.  According to the local rag, Khloe was once a size ten, (which is smaller than the average North American Woman by four sizes) and pared down to a size six for her wedding.  Size six is very, very thin and on her five foot ten frame, could even be considered a little underweight.  Yet it didn’t stop the worst of us from tearing into her.  I wonder sometimes if the same people who insult fuller-figured celebs hold themselves and the rest of us every day schmucks to the same standard, and why some people think that it’s okay to hide behind some made up username on a computer as they gabble on about how much cellulite covers Pam Anderson’s bottom.  Why do we even care?  Frankly over eighty percent of all women have cellulite.  Get used to it!  Most women would kill to look like these stars, and it speaks to our human nature to bring people down to our own level, simply because we cannot rise up to their fame and fortune. 

Another beautiful young girl who has had to endure relentless cyber-bullying is Jessica Simpson.  Since putting on a few pounds, she has been ripped apart by online predators.  I can assure you that many of the very same men who deem her as grossly obese would definitely say “Yes!”  If ever asked out on a date by Jessica, and most of the jealous women would be ecstatic if they had her looks and body. 

Some people may argue that if these women decide to put themselves under the spotlight, that they should be ready to accept any type of criticism, including jabs about their appearance.  I think, however that there is a difference between criticism and cruelty. 

I had hoped that with the birth of the new millennium that we as a societal whole would have somehow grown past the schoolyard bullying mentality, and begin to accept that people come in all shapes, colors and sizes.  It is what makes us unique, beautiful and interesting.

However, if you think all hope is lost for humanity, please don’t forget that we curvy chicks are not without our public defenders.  For however many people that are out there making us feel bad about ourselves, we do have public figures who absolutely love us.  Take the fabulous Gok Wan, English fashion stylist and host of the program “How to Look Good Naked”.  This Fairy Gok Mother takes ordinary British women who feel depressed about their size and helps turn their body woes around with the perfect combination of  gushing, loving compliments, great clothing advice, and of course, the inevitable sexy nude photo shoot which is tastefully portrayed at the end of each program.  He is my hero, and I absolutely adore him.  His kindness and compassion is unsurpassed by anyone I have ever known about in the fashion industry, and I give him two thumbs up. 

Who could forget Tyra Banks when she told her critics to (Quote) “Kiss my fat ass!”  The former supermodel and voluptuous beauty couldn’t have put it any better than that.  Her daily talk show on the CW is aimed at helping young women feel better about themselves both physically and spiritually.  She is a champion fighter for us normal sized girls, showing society that one can be curvy–and drop dead gorgeous, to boot!

After sitting down and reading some of the less-than-kind articles written about celebs who ride the weight-gain roller coaster, I now understand how difficult it must be for these women to live under constant scrutiny by the public eye.  We put pressure on them, and in turn put equal pressure on ourselves.  Perhaps it isn’t the celebrities, or fashion designers, or even runway models that create the problem, but each and every one of us who participate in weight discrimination.  The good news is that it is also within our power to show respect and love for everyone, and in turn teach our children to love and respect themselves and others.  That is my greatest hope, and even though it sounds daunting, I believe it is altogether possible. 

Just my Humble Opinion.