Might I take this opportunity to apologise to Lupus for my reaction?
As for deleting the comments; that's just silly. This thread serves as a salutory lesson to us all. To delete portions of it would be to bury our heads in the sand.
To clarify my position: I have no argument with Lupus with regards his right to voice his opinion. As a liberal I support that right. Neither do I have any beef with what I think he's trying to say. My disagreement comes in how he expressed himself. I'm sorry, Lupus, but your words were clumsy and ill-considered. I am a blunt speaker, but, on a forum such as this, I temper my words and use diplomacy. You should have done the same.
*Dons pro-feminist hat*
During the period of time between completing my undergraduate degree and commencing postgraduate study, I stumbled across a website called http://www.heartless-bitches.com. It is a community, predominantly female, that rejects stereotyped gender roles and esposes independent, strong-minded womanhood. It fascinated me to read member's testimony of why they joined the site and the beliefs they had. It inspired me to use the internet to teach myself about feminism and gender. On doing so, I discovered an interest in body issues and the way in which women's bodies are politicised. I'd like, if I may, to post a thread on the "Free For All" board summariing what I learned and why it affects my beliefs today, but the relevance to this discussion is that women are bombarded with messages on how they should and shouldn't look. Young women are aiming for a body-type that is biologically unattainable to the vast majority of them; that is the body of a Nicole Ritchie or Keira Knightley. If they fail to have this body, they feel as though they are inferior, weak-willed or pathetic. It is fucking heart-breaking to read.
My point is that, by denouncing an FBB as havimg the body of a boy, Lupus is contributing to the chorus of pressure on women. It is unhelpful, uncalled-for and undiplomatic. Yes, Lingster is right to say re: Isabelle Turell that FBBers should realise that their appearance will generate negative reaction. If a curvy girl feels that she is a failure because she is unable to attain the skinny ideal, then an FBBer must be prepared to be treated more harshly by society. Yet, being aware of this cannot make it any easier to deal with. There have been posts by FBBrs which I have read with my own eyes where they talk of feeling pressure to stay in contest shape all the time. They are also stared at, jeered at and criticised by people in public. This site should be a safe haven for FBBers as well as their fans and supporters. Constructive criticism is good; saying that a particular FBBers' appearance is not to your liking is fine (I've said so myself many times); calling her boyish or, as Lupus described Joanna Thomas "she has an ugly, mannish voice" or, as he described Jana Linke-Sippl "amazing ugly face" is not acceptable.
*Removes pro-feminist hat*
In all honesty, if someone were to ask me my unvarnished opionion of Marja Lehtonen, Lupus' favourite, FBBer, I would say that I found her facial appearance off-putting, though I like her physique, but would I describe her as "ugly" in the thread dedicated to her? No. In fact, in her thread, I stated that I did not find her the most beautiful of FBBers, but that there was something about her that compensated for that, making her one of the
"Muscle chicks I normally wouldn't be a fan of but something about them is hot"? Like Kris, there's something about Marja, but I wouldn't put her up there with my top favourites.
I later commented on her physique:
Mind-blowing!
which I feel is appropriate (because she is).
That's all.
