Has Hillary come out and said (probably in different words) that she has no more fucks to give, or that when it comes to her appearance she is saying fuck it? Genuinely asking as someone who doesn’t closely follow Hillary, not out of a dislike for her by any means, but more of a neutrality.
The reason I ask is that, while I get that the intention behind what you’re saying is good, who is anyone to assume that the way Hillary is presenting herself means she no longer cares about her appearance? Is it possible that she’s simply wearing clothes that she feels good in, and less makeup or coiffed hair, because she likes to, rather than because she gives zero fucks? Is it possible that this is how her body has always looked, but we haven’t noticed because she has been in dark coloured blazers and potentially Spanx for so many years, to fit her political persona?
It’s highly possible that Hillary is having a moment of being herself, trying to have a more peaceful and simpler human existence, and this is simply what it looks like. What she looks like as a human being. Not because she’s not trying, or has thrown her hands up in the air and said “I don’t care anymore,” but because it’s just…her. Regular effort and all.
It would be different to write an article like this about someone, an influencer or celebrity maybe, whose image, mission, values and statements reflect body positivity, embracing their curves, weight gain, etc. or the general idea of giving zero fucks about appearance. It would make sense in that context to say that you can get behind what they’re saying, because they’ve actually come out and said it themselves, rather than having it decided for them.
“Let’s get this out of the way: I don’t really think the above image shows a fat person. I’m not in the business of body-shaming.” You do think the image shows a (kinda) fat person though. You said so in the title. And to put it honestly, to me this article reads as body shaming disguised as a high five. The illusion of support.
We as a society have a long way to go when it comes to body image, supporting each other, and embracing a wide variety of body types. Your intention is a step in the right direction, but the execution in my opinion is not. From what I understood in your message, I do think that more people need to have the intention that you do—to embrace the idea of bodies evolving and looking differently from each other, and sure, to not give any fucks about appearance, if that’s what someone decides for themselves. It’s a great message, but it should be written about someone who publicly represents that message.
I looked around to see if maybe Hillary has come out and said something along the lines of what you’re suggesting and I couldn’t find anything. As a big fan of hers maybe you’ve seen or read something differently. I’m open to being wrong, but without that reference this is how the article lands for me.
I did find this though: “Answering a question about girls and body image from a 15-year-old, Hillary Clinton says ‘It’s shocking when women are called names and judged solely on the basis of physical attributes.’” (NBC News)
