“I know what it feels like to be judged,” said Nicki Minaj in an interview with Hot 97 in 2013.
Now, she’s being chastised for the way she appears to judge others.
Smash hits like Minaj’s “Anaconda” and Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass” have come under scrutiny for their so-called skinny-shaming, or, criticism of thin women in the name of body positivity.
While skinny-shaming is a harmful practice, as it encourages the disrespect of female bodies and creates competition among women, these songs should still be praised for their positive messages.
While Minaj and Trainor both use the phrase “skinny b——s” in their songs, Trainor’s follows with a positive message to the thin women she addresses.
“No I’m just playing,” says Trainor in the song. “I know you think you’re fat, but I’m here to tell you every inch of you is perfect from the bottom to the top.”
Additionally, the idea that larger women should feel confident in their own skin does not often gain such popularity.
“I’m under so much pressure to be so, so skinny,” said Minaj to Power 106. “I definitely want to lose weight, even now. But I don’t want to send the message to girls that every time they look on the TV they’re going to see someone that’s a size one, because it’s just not realistic.”
This message that Minaj sends to girls breaks out of the norm that has been set by the society that surrounds them. She encourages a level of self-respect and self-love that isn’t encouraged by most pop music, the media or men.
“I wanted to reinstate something,” said Minaj to ABC News. “Men are really glorifying the less curvy body. I wanted to say ‘Hey (curvy) ladies, you’re beautiful.’”
Trainor also spoke about the body-positive message she hoped to send to young girls with “All About That Bass.” Having experienced the pressure to be thin herself, she understands the power this message can have for young women everywhere.
“I definitely wrote it for myself because I struggled with that for forever,” said Trainor to The Today Show. “Especially nowadays with social media … with all these apps that are trying to make you look perfect … It’s hard for girls to grow up with all of this stuff.”
From a young age, girls are taught that their only value will be how they appear to the world. They are given an image of the ideal woman, who is undoubtedly thin, and taught that they must fit into this false mold. This means that young girls try again and again to make themselves smaller.
“I wonder if my lineage is one of women shrinking; making space for the entrance of men into their lives, not knowing how to fill it back up once they leave,” said poet Lily Myers at the 2013 College National Poetry Slam. “I have been taught to grow in … I took lessons from (my) mother in creating space around myself … A circular obsession I never wanted, but inheritance is accidental.”
The women who have this coveted thin figure are reinforced by the social climate that gives them privilege. They can open any magazine, turn on any channel and look up at any billboard to find a body like theirs glorified.
The goal with songs like “Anaconda” and “All About That Bass” is to bring larger women to that level of visibility. For now, that’s a welcome step up from our previous system. However, there are still improvements to be made.
One of the problems is that their songs cater to men.
“’Cause I got that boom boom that all the boys chase,” says Trainor in “All About That Bass.” “Yeah, my mama she told me ‘don’t worry about your size.’ She says, ‘Boys like a little more booty to hold at night.’”
Focusing a positive movement for women on the way they’re seen by men reinforces the idea that girls should look to men for approval, and they should only be confident in their body if it’s desirable to men.
In the future, the movement for body positivity should focus on empowerment for all women without approval from men. Supporting all types of bodies decreases the burden of competition that women feel on a day-to-day basis.
Regardless, what artists like Minaj and Trainor are doing is moving in the right direction. Little girls may still find value in their words and begin to love their bodies.
And isn’t that the whole point?
