I was reading an article about new artist, Meghan Trainor, and her video, “All About That Bass” and at first glance, I was sooo ready to applaud a resurgence of positivity in all body types.  However, my appreciation soon turned into confusion over the current state of female self image.  Thanks to beauties like Beyonce, Lupita Nyongo, and J-Lo, there has been in the past decade a turn from the norm.  The super skinny self image has decreased in popularity.  I’ve noticed a new crippling self image arising out of the ashes…it’s that of the “Thick Skinny” image.  Yeah, it’s the new “it” thing.  Everyone wants to promote being thick…but thick in the right places it seems is the new image.  Even Meghan Trainor, who you’ll be introduced in the below video, mentions that very comment.  She says, “I’m thick in all the right places.”

My question is, “Who says what are the RIGHT places?”

I mean, we’re now seeing young ladies inject God knows what into their rears to get that Nicki Minaj booty and still hold on to a teenie, tiny, Barbie waist.  Which, if you’re honest about it, looks absolutely RIDICULOUS!  What happened to having a size 16 booty and the waist, thighs, and arms that come along with it?  If that was what we promoted, I’d be ecstatic.  But we’re not.  Once again, we’re giving our young girls a false self image that is either extremely difficult to realize or impossible without some form of cosmetic adjustment.

K. Michelle, a talented singer, is another young lady that has felt the need to cosmetically enlarge her rear end.  What has it done for her career?  Well, for one she is much more popular than her previous days and I’m sure that added popularity has afforded her more shine for her musical endeavors.  As talented as she is, I can’t believe that this is the route she felt she needed to go.  But how can you blame her?  The ideal image for our women today is a thick girl with a slim waist.  No one is talking about being healthy, eating right, or even loving the skin you’re in.  Let’s face it, with all the various body types…some sistas will NEVER look like Nicki Minaj…if you have a Spongebob Squarepants body, be GOOD with that!

The sad thing is that women like Nicki and K. Michelle, actually believe that by possessing this “image” they are gaining the upper hand of control on men.  What a joke, you think that by making yourself irresistible to the desires of men, that you in some way are controlling them?  Really?  And that idea forced you to go under the knife or inject yourself with I don’t know what type of chemicals, not to mention the continuous need to objectify yourself by promoting and protruding that expensive rear end every chance you get so that the idea of “control” you think you possess can forever stay in your favor?  Ladies, how foolish are you?

I digress.  I can’t go off too hard as I have even found myself looking in the mirror trying to figure how many squats it will take to plump my behind and how many crunches to at least get a decent 4 pack.  I love my thighs and honestly think that I’m a decent shaped woman, however…society has done a number on me and I too am trying to fit into this new image.  Only to a certain degree though, I am deathly afraid of needles, so no plumping is going on over here!  LOL  The only good thing about this image, is that it’s not as difficult to see myself attaining as the super skinny model image was.  I thank Sir Mixx-Alot for helping to break that self image back in the early 90’s.  “Baby Got Back” ushered in the idea that the full bottom of a black woman was to be revered and appreciated.  But somewhere down the line, this idea was exploited and so were the women in the videos.

Either way, this is an issue we need to combat.  We should promote loving your body as it is.  That every body is beautiful.  How can we do this?  I’m asking my ladies because it is up to US to come up with an answer.  I’m not immune to the far reaching influence this image has as I’m sure most of you aren’t as well.  I’m woman enough to acknowledge there’s an issue…what about you?  Are you willing to submit some idea or comment on how we can bring change to this idea?  Our little ladies are looking up to us.

courtesy of Huffington Post

“I’m all about that bass, ’bout that bass — no treble.”

So declares Meghan Trainor in the relentlessly catchy “All About That Bass.” Trainor, a 20-year-old songwriter based in Nashville, lends her own voice to this retro-pop body acceptance jam. A summer anthem promising to “bring booty back?” We’re in.

In the video, Trainor and Co. “won’t be no stick figure silicon Barbie doll, so if that’s what you’re into then go on and move along.” Vine star Sione Maraschinobusts serious moves in the background, matching (or outdoing) any video girl we’ve ever seen.

The tune declares “skinny” overrated and celebrates men and women of all shapes and sizes. “I wrote this song because I myself struggle with this concept of self-acceptance,” Trainor said in an email to HuffPost. “It was written from a real place so I’m glad that other people can relate to it.” The message is perfectly positive with a few jabs at “the magazines, working y’all’s photoshop. We know that sh*t ain’t real, come on now, make it stop,” as Trainor sings.

Despite the absurd standards of thinness promoted by the beauty industry, Trainor hopes to “break those chains,” she told HuffPost. “It’s impossible for a girl to live up to what we see in the magazines… Everyone is born to be different, and [yet] that’s the thing that makes us all the same.”