(CW: graphic discussions of eating disorders)
I was born right at the cusp between Millennials and Gen Z, in 1996. The Buzzfeed quiz says that I’m “definitely Gen Z” but the fact that I went to Buzzfeed to find that out might be evidence of the opposite. Since both generations seem to equally struggle under late stage capitalism, I don’t tend to care too much about it.
One experience that is distinctly millennial for me, however, is growing up under the crushing weight of 2000s fatphobia. From Reneé Zellweger’s size 6 being labeled as “fat” for over 90 minutes in The Diary Of Bridget Jones, to Britney’s unbelievably flat stomach being plastered on the cover of most magazines, the message was inescapable: be skinnier. You’re not skinny enough. Why are you not skinny enough? You should care about this. You should want to be skinnier. Everyone wants to be skinnier. Be skinnier. I have no memories of the turn of the millennium, but I can recall my grandma commenting on my sister’s armpit fa…