Bad Girls Bad Girls: Whatchu gon' do? Whatchu gon' do when the Body Police come for you?

So even though I already told Erica and Justin about this guy, I think it's an anecdote that fits in with the theme of this post:

A few weeks ago I was checking out at the grocery store, when the dude bagging my groceries stopped to hold up a container of coconut oil I was buying.

Dude: "So...is this for like, baking or something?"

Me: "Yeah, and cooking, you know--a type of cooking oil."

Dude: "Well...did you see how much fat is in it? I mean...I don't know about that..."

Me: "Yes, but I am starting to believe that fats are better for us than sugars, so I'm increasing my healthy fats and decreasing my sugars..."

Dude: "Well...okay...but you'll have to let me know how that works out for you..."(trails off and gives me a disapproving frown).

Now, far be it for me to be paranoid, but I feel that the guy was taking it upon himself to be paternalistic about my dietary choices (perhaps because I've put on some weightage--who knows?) and therefore pissing me off. It pisses me off because 1. No matter what, it's not his business, and 2. No matter what, I think he'd always think it was.

Body Policing, much like Gender Policing, isn't really about notions of "health" or "welfare," so much as it is about control. It occurs no matter what someone's size, weight, or health status, and it is completely dependent on misogyny, or at the very least, male privilege in telling women What's Up. It can be the means of controlling the quantity of food a woman consumes, or the quality, or whether or not she eats at all. Gloria Steinem noted that wives typically, for some odd reason, have more nutrition problems (though you'd think they'd be the same as the hubby) due to self-sacrifice and the offering up of the "Good Food" to the husband and children, while said wives eat either the scraps or some high carb filler to substitute. Food and food consumption, it would seem, are difficult sociological issues to consider.

But right now I focus on the Policing aspect. Back when I was in my senior year of high school, I lost a *lot* of weight. Admittedly, I was underweight for my height, but I did see a doctor for my still-as-unresolved breathing problem, and I detailed what I ate in a day (Which was a lot. I ate like athletes eat. It was a stupid diet because I considered Mike n Ike's to be more legitimate than, say, Pot Roast, but there it is. I did, however, consume huge amounts of fruit, vegetables, tuna and chicken, so it wasn't all garbage), and he told me it was fine, so long as I was eating as much as I told him I was, and I was. However, that was an extremely confusing time for me. One half of my associates told me that I looked horrible and unhealthy {which isn't completely true. My exercising and endurance made me able to jumprope for 45 min-1 hour at a time, and for the first (and last) time in my life through now I could do pullups and pushups and wasn't winded from walking up stairs or chasing after our pets...not to mention I ate constantly, so my metabolism must have been up}, and the other half made it sound like I was only now--for the first time--acceptable. Also not true, seeing as how I'm human and not an asshole, I think I've always been, at the very least, "acceptable." But having seen the world from both sides of the Body Police coin, I can say with all honesty that neither is much better. Being thin causes men to stare at you lasciviously and make you feel dirty. Weighing more--I get the same shit. Though having bigger jugs actually makes these creeps more bold in ways, thinking that breast size equals "Easy" and therefore they have no issue with literally grabbing at me or calling me out for my "nice tits." Either way, it's a means to control and make someone feel horrible about who they are. Because "who" we are is largely tied up with "what we look like'' and therefore not an identity at all.

I heard that Michael Bay was up Megan Fox's ass on the set of Transformers 2 (Which I have not, thank Planet Druidia, seen) to gain weight. Her response is that she just always has had a "tiny-ass waist" and that was how she was naturally built. Whether that's true or not, I don't know, but the point is that Michael Bay likes to control women. Because had she gained, say, 60 lbs, I'm fairly certain he would have lost his shit, demanded she lose weight, and immediately fired her. The notion of "healthy role models" is an illusion in and of itself, and frankly it just depends on what is "in" at the moment, which usually involves big boobs, small waist, curvy tush. When he says, "Gain weight," he really means, "Get boobs," which is in no way helpful to anyone. The "Eat a Cupcake" bitchfest of internalized misogyny and, let's be honest, socialized jealousy, is in no way helpful to the cause of feminism--I know a young woman who eats Taco Bell for most of her meals, but is still quite svelte. The assumption of eating disorders, or frigid habits or the like are just as harmful, as they put all the power, all the focus on that tiresome topic: Body. Just for kicks, here is a list of things that have been pointed out about my body that were "wrong" in some way:

My hair
My body (too fat and too thin, at various points in my life)
My skin
My eyelashes (I know)
My nose (natch!)
My feet
My eyebrows
My eyes
My lips
My junk (looked funny to some dude, I guess)
My breastage
My teeth

You know, basically, anything that is visible (and non) has been criticized at different points in my life. I find it all ridiculous NOW, but...my 7th grade self is another matter. If girls and women knew how widespread this is, maybe they wouldn't rush out to please with surgery, makeup and diet so much.