We spend hours of our days scrolling through images of what women’s bodies are (according to ads for weight loss products and exercise programs) ‘supposed’ to look like. These messages have a deep impact upon the way we see ourselves and the way the world treats us--especially if our bodies don’t match those of most Instagram models.
Shapermint Gal Jenny knows first-hand how society sometimes dismisses, ignores and rejects people for not being skinny.
One time she went for an audition at a cycling studio, and found herself surrounded by people of all shapes and sizes. But, she says “I was one of the bigger people in the room.”
When it was time for her audition, Jenny kept pace with the other cyclers, but she could tell her size made a negative impression.
“I could have cycled with the best of them, and I was cycling just as good as they were, but I knew it was my body that led them to not pick me,” Jenny says.
When she got the news that she hadn’t been chosen for the commercial, they told her she wasn’t the right “look” they were going for.
“You get the undertone,” Jenny says. “You get what that means. It means they were going to pick the thinner version of what we want people to see. So yeah, that was upsetting. Because you say to yourself, ‘Oh my gosh, I really wanted that.’”
It can be a tough hill to climb, knowing that your best isn’t good enough simply because people are judging your body. But Jenny has learned how to keep going, despite the haters.
“Feeling pretty doesn't mean how you look on the outside,” Jenny says. “I think it also means how you are on the inside. And I love my personality. My friends love my personality. I love that I'm able to laugh and I love that I'm able to have a good time.”
