29 Jul 2023
“We have to be thin but not too thin, and we can never say we want to be thin you have to say you want to be healthy. But also you have to be thin.” – The Barbie Movie (2023).
Having seen an ‘are you summer ready?’ type advert locally, we wanted to capture a snapshot of what people in our city actually think and feel about the concept of body beautiful, and whether that actually means the same to everyone.
St Albans-based actor Anna MacLeod is passionate about breaking down stigma surrounding body size and believes that every shape should be celebrated: “Isn’t it time to leave this nonsense of ‘othering’ fat bodied people in the last century where it belongs?
“I am fat. Always have been. I am also a completely normal person. I am a mother, a wife, a daughter, sister, friend, I am a professional actor, a celebrant, a charity volunteer, a singer of songs, a baker of cakes for birthdays, a drinker of Aperol Spritz in beer gardens with mates, a lover of spa days and sea swimming. I am happy. I live a wonderfully happy, full life.”
She said she genuinely doesn’t believe that any body type is better than another: “Fat, thin, in between, tall, short, cushiony, angular, willowy. All the body types are worthy. I’m completely happy with my hourglass number eight body by the way. I like it, love its warmth, its roundness.
“I love the way my son refers to me as ‘comfy’. I dress it nicely and look after it. It is, after all, where I live. And it’s good at lots of stuff. At connecting, telling stories, giving comfort, certainly at laughing.”
Anna, who is well-known for her performances with theatre group OVO, said she feels she wasted so many years believing that by being ‘more than’ she was ‘less than’.
The mum-of-one said it is extraordinary how many acquaintances and even friends will freely offer up their unsolicited critique of her body.
She said she “marvels at the arrogance of otherwise well-meaning people”.
She added: “I’ve remained the same weight for two years and I no longer decline midweek dinner invitations. Yet if I’ve made an extra effort and look good, the compliment is wearyingly often ‘have you lost weight?’ rather than just ‘you look nice’.”
Anna said she thinks the landscape is changing and that there is far more representation now.
She feels that if you care about other forms of representation and other social justice issues then you should care about this too: “Fat people are the last bastion, the last group of people who it seems socially acceptable to openly degrade.
“Let’s not do it anymore, because our humanity is just as valid as yours.”
Owner of CrossFit Verulamium Claudia Luscombe-Whyte said: “I’ve certainly felt pressure to get ‘beach ready’ for the summer – whatever that means – and have dieted and restricted food before going on holiday.
“And when it’s hot, and the summer clothes are out, I have felt self-conscious about baring my legs or wearing a bikini in public. In the past, it led me to behave in unhealthy and unloving ways around food and around my body. Living in the age of social media can increase that pressure when we are exposed to images of ‘perfect’ looking women.
“But as the mother of daughters, and a gym owner, I learned to celebrate my body for what it can do, rather than what it looks like, or compared to other bodies. My body is amazing, and so is yours.
“And at CrossFit Verulamium we really focus on positive body image and changing the narrative from needing to look a certain way in order to feel good in our skin.”
Fitness instructor Nadya Giffen added: “I think nowadays there is less pressure on women to look a certain way, as in conform to what society thinks we should look like. Thankfully things have moved on and I feel the focus is more about having a healthy lifestyle, exercising, eating well and consuming treats in moderation which in turn makes you feel good about yourself.”
Nadya added that when she teaches pole fitness, she often wears very small bikini-style bottoms and a sports bra in front of her students, even when sometimes she might feel heavier and be carrying more weight: “I feel it is important to show my students it is okay and natural especially as a woman that things change, weight fluctuates and to be proud of your body and all it does for you.”
Coach and PT Trinity Handley agreed: “There is definitely a lot of pressure to look a certain way during summer, ‘bikini body ready’ and ‘summer body’ are terms used way too frequently in conversation and in the media. It’s important to remember that our bodies aren’t seasonal commodities – we need to look after our bodies all year round and find a balanced routine with food and exercise if we want to be sustainably healthy and happy. This language encourages a mentality of yoyo dieting or extreme dieting and exercise which, as we know almost always ends up in more weight being put on in the long run.”
If there are any people who aren’t self-conscious it might be the residents and visitors to naturist sites Spielplatz and Sunfolk in Park Street, where clothes are shed and people of all ages and body types celebrate the freedom of nakedness.
National spokesman for British Naturism Andrew Welch said: “The concept of a body being ’summer ready’ is divisive and really quite disgusting in these times of tolerance for personal choice.
“No doubt it is driven by commercial interests aiming at making those who feel they don’t measure up to feel inadequate and then spend money to put it right.
“Everybody is summer ready, in the same way as they are ‘work-ready’, ‘coffee-shop’ ready or ready for any activity you care to name.
“An important aspect of naturism is acceptance and in an environment where people aren’t wearing their clothes, you quickly learn that what you look like doesn’t matter – there is a whole variety of body shapes – including your own – and they are all ’summer ready’. Just relax and be yourself.”
