When someone who is popular and respected in the HAES community, someone with traction, decrees that shape wear is bad/ never to be worn/ that people who wear it are not accepting of their bodies, etc., and that everyone should steer clear, I invariably raise an eyebrow.
Do I personally like shape wear? Oh no, it can feel terrible and restricting and annoying. But I have also attended functions when I had to look my best. And not really to seduce teh menz but to secure a job. A job that would keep a roof over my head, etc. And then I will absolutely dust the shape wear and the make up and every tool of oppression on women’s bodies because as much as I predicate on doing away with those standards, survival comes first.
For some people, the difference between giving in to shape wear and not is the ability to pay next month’s bills. So, while we can decree that we wish we lived in a world where nobody felt the pressure to modify their appearance, the reality is that more often than not we navigate murky waters. Sometimes, there really isn’t much of a choice.
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