“The moments when I was thinnest were the worst of my life.” There is a phrase, among the many pronounced by Chiara Ferragni in a long video published on Instagram, which overturns one of the most deep-rooted stereotypes of our society: the one that automatically associates thinness with happiness, health and even success.
Ferragni, who has been at the center of the world of social media for years, has decided to respond to those who write to her who have put on a few kilos by telling something that almost never emerges behind the glossy images of the web.
Every time I was extremely thin I didn’t feel well – she says. There were times when I was really sad, ate very little or was obsessed with eating only healthy foods. When I think back to that time, I especially remember how unhappy I was.
Words that bring attention to an often forgotten truth: the body, every body, tells a story that no one can know from the outside. We live with a culture instilled in our heads that continues to celebrate thinness as an aesthetic ideal, so much so that losing weight is often greeted with a myriad of compliments. Yet, losing weight does not always mean feeling good, but it can be the sign of a difficult moment, severe stress, anxiety, illness or emotional suffering. Even a love pain makes you lose weight! So, just like gaining a few pounds doesn’t necessarily tell a story of neglect or poor health.
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This is precisely the point that Ferragni tries to question when he invites us to stop commenting on women’s bodies. Behind a number on the scale there could be much more than we imagine.
“Aging is a privilege”
In his outburst, another reflection:
Growing old is a privilege. Not everyone is this lucky. Many people get sick, many people die.
Amid the illusion of eternal youth, accepting the passage of time becomes almost a revolutionary act. Chiara Ferragni says she finally feels good in her own skin, not because she has achieved impossible perfection, but because she has stopped chasing it.
I want to be the best version of myself, but today my best effort is to be the most natural me possible. I love my natural hair, I love seeing myself without makeup. I’m learning to love myself for who I am.
His message arrives a few days after those of Ariana Grande and Georgina Rodríguez, who in turn denounced the continuous comments on their physical appearance. Three very different women, united by the same experience: seeing their bodies transformed into a terrain of public judgement.
We are so used to commenting on other people’s bodies that we consider it almost normal. “You’ve lost weight”, “you’ve gained weight”, “you looked better before”, “you look tired”: phrases pronounced in such a superficial way, but which can weigh heavily on those who receive them.
We never know what a person is really experiencing, and their body almost always tells much less than what we think we see.
