I am not particularly happy with the wording of certain parts in the “An outfit for the shape of you” article posted on Nov. 12. I was, respectfully, quite upset after reading it. 

I would like to preface that I do not believe there was any ill intention involved in this article’s writing, but I do believe more thought should have been put into certain areas. I feel those areas came off as out of touch and inconsiderate to the audience.  

Now, I do understand I am a man. However, I am a man who struggled with childhood obesity until I was 16 years old and have witnessed women from my family go through their own struggles regarding their body image. I think I have a leg to stand on when speaking about these criticisms.

The article is portrayed as a tips and tricks article for women to help style their fashion based on their body type, and some readers may find some genuinely good tips to base their fashion sense on. 

However, the context when writing about the bodies of anyone can make or break how a viewer reacts, especially under a topic as sensitive as this. Due to this lack of context, I was enraged by the comments made in this article. If there were simply more context explaining the writer’s reasoning, it would not have garnered such a reaction out of me.

With the article categorized originally as lifestyle rather than opinion, it feels like the opinion and personal experience of the writer are touted as fact. Additionally, writing about what someone should and should not wear based on one person’s perspective is undoubtedly harmful to the audience that sees it. Furthermore, it is especially important to be mindful of how others can portray certain things, even if one or two people do not see it in the writing process.

I believe it was also the intention of the writer to garner discussion on the topic of body image in a positive light regarding fashion. Instead, it felt like it landed five steps behind the discussion of body positivity. 

In the first few paragraphs, one line reads: “You discover that you somehow magically transformed into some absolutely unattractive variation of a human being. What happened? I’ll tell you a secret: it’s not the lighting and it’s not the angle — it’s you.”

I understand where the writer’s mindset was; oftentimes, that’s what we think as humans when we look in the mirror. We can be hard on ourselves, God knows I am too, but there is a better way to frame saying something like that. 

Reading that line on paper out loud sounds more like a passive-aggressive jab at someone unhappy with their body image than any type of constructive criticism. 

A line like that needs the context that I just provided; reassurance that it is something we all go through and that no one is perfect. 

Framing the hourglass figure as the commonly accepted ideal body type is something I heavily disagree with. I do understand that in most media, this is presented as the truth, but I believe it is a different story when coming from other people. In my experience, most people my age that I have talked to about this have not agreed with this idea either.

I also think using Marilyn Monroe as an example was in poor taste, as her “ideal body type” and beauty threw her into an industry that caused irreversible damage to her as a person, both mentally and physically, on many levels. 

I’d also like to point out that at the beginning of each body type entry, there is some sort of compliment or hype up to the women who have these bodies. 

However, when coming to the “apple” body type, one which is often depicted as a plus-sized body type, the immediate advice is to befriend a “rectangle,” a previously mentioned body type that is often depicted as someone thinner with no elaboration. In my mind, with no context, this reads like you need to befriend someone thinner to make yourself look better. 

I’m not saying anyone can wear anything; some people do need help when styling themselves, as some aren’t fashion literate. I believe the writer’s heart was in the right place when writing this article and was attempting to provide that value. 

However, to me, it appeared as conformist to certain styles and portrayed unhealthy body/beauty standards in some areas.