I am about to rant about something that bothers me. Please note that my frustration is not directed at the lovely ladies of this forum, who never use this kind of language.
Dear Anonymous reviewer:
In your review, you stated that a certain pair of pants are 'suitable only for stick figures'. Please don't use that phrase. It is insulting and dismissive (and, in the case of these pants, patently untrue; the woman modelling the pants is svelte yet shapely, and not 'stick-like' at all). I sympathize that you are sized out of this style, and I wish manufacturers would include a wider range of sizes. Many women are sized out at the other end of the spectrum, too.
When referring to a thin woman, kinder terms include 'athletic', 'slender', 'slim' and 'boyish', just as 'voluptuous', 'curvy', 'lush' and 'full-figured' are more gentle and flattering than the insulting 'fat arse' and 'thunder thighs'. (Nobody ever says that on a review, because it would come off as just plain mean). I am aware that in Western culture, thinness is associated with a certain privilege, but if we want decrease the sexist scrutiny of women's bodies, we must encourage the idea that all body types are acceptable. Beauty can be found in every shape. Using terms like 'stick figure' (or 'stick insect', or 'anorexic') do not help to make this idea take root. It just makes the problem worse.
sincerely,
Small (but not a stick figure)
