The opening credits have begun to roll

So I, as the star of the show, must be ready to perform

The studio’s main concern is my appearance 

Because apparently, we as a society haven’t learned from the tragedies of Karen Carpenter and Heidi Guenther 

We grieve and give our condolences to the families, then turn around and tell our children that 

Skinny is pretty 

The majority of my freshman year, I pushed away plates of food and told myself that line I had heard from such a young age

It’s everywhere, from the weight loss shake bottles to the magazines in the grocery store aisle

And as I get older, it follows me

It follows me to my phone, to my screen

Where I am bombarded with recommendations to skip meals and images of skeletal women

I live in constant fear of gaining ten pounds, so I take to video workouts, where the comment section tells me again

Skinny is pretty 

And that is what everyone will tell me when I wear my swimsuit 

On the red carpet, lights flash in mine and dozens of other girls faces as we are critiqued from head to toe

Always looking our best, always well dressed

Despite the concern in my grandmother’s face as I refuse a piece of candy

I don’t feel too bad, though, because she pulls at her own stomach and considers fasting

I nearly laugh

That’s what I called it too

People like skinny

Skinny is pretty, right?

So, skinny pretty girls get boyfriends,

Those skinny pretty girls have lots of loving friends

Society dotes on these skinny pretty girls

And the ratings go up and up and up

I am on top of the world, my high will never fall

Yet, at times, I am aware of the cruelty of it all

Of the pain, the suffering, the mistreatment that finally seems equally spread between the genders 

So, as the scene draws to a close, I will whisper

There is not a perfect body

No one hears me, and the end credits are beginning to roll, so I will scream from the bottom of my empty chest

There is not a perfect body

The screen fades to black, my time has run up

All I can hope is that we can stop preaching the lie that is

Skinny is pretty

They are not one and the same.