It’s one thing to be bullied about your body – but it’s quite another to be accused of causing eating disorders
Jessica Origliasso, one half of the Australian music duo The Veronicas, has taken to Facebook to defend herself and her sister Lisa against criticism over their weight – or lack of it.
Jess who says she is not one to “shy away from confrontation and controversial subjects” wrote the post in response to a comment suggesting that the pair were too thin.
“That comment being, that by existing at the weight we currently are, by being ourselves, we are encouraging young people to have eating disorders,” she writes.
The pair have always been small, according to Jess who is concerned that people mistake weight as the only indicator of good health.
“They have been taught and encouraged by pop culture and magazines that health is a number on a scale. And once you reach that number, you obtain all these magical things in life. Happiness and health being two of them.
“I don’t agree. It is balance that equals health. Physical, mental and emotional balance. And once you LIVE that lifestyle balance, THEN all these magical things start happening. Health and happiness being top of the list.”
Jess, who is a Bikram yoga enthusiast, says that healthy living and eating became a passionate subject for her when she suffered from serious digestive issues after years of unbalanced eating and constant travel in her twenties.
“We were the definition of an excessive unhealthy lifestyle. As we grew older that lifestyle was only fuelled by the tour lifestyle, and ‘rider’ of free alcohol every single night at gig venues, burger diners, that we would eat at on tour. The mountains of Crispy Kremes to make us feel better when we would get another sore throat,” she writes.
“But if you ask people who ‘look in’ from the outside, THAT is meant to be when ‘The Veronicas looked the healthiest’. What. a. joke.”
After being told to “get real” by a friend, Jess decided to take control of her health. She embraced Chinese Medicine, stopped taking the Pill, and changed her diet.
“I introduced fresh foods into my diet, a lot of healthy carbs, got rid of packaged food, soda and fast food. I started eating fermented food, super foods, probiotics and supplements, doing yoga, drinking water and herbal tea. I taught myself to take time and meditate.”
And it worked, Jess said she felt stronger, her head got clearer and she rarely got sick, even with a hectic tour schedule.
“Everyone’s body is different. I’ll never be Kim Kardashidan. And I’ll never be a 6ft super model. Some people will never have my body type. But we’re not meant to compare our power in this life to others bodies. Our power lay in OUR choices. And I chose happiness, health, balance and integrity.”
Top Comments
I'm calling bull. I've worked on many events with these girls and they are so thin it's shocking when you see it up close. Veins showing and huge knees on stick legs. They look larger in photos than in real life. They are dramatically thin and it's not from yoga and "healthy carbs", that I can assure you.
Oh bugger off
why is it OK to criticize a thin person
I can assure you, you don't know how every persons body works, I'm that small and not healthy. Its my genetics
I'd loose weight and be smaller if I ate healthy and went to a gym
Yeah I myself eat an unhealthy diet of maccas and easy food, I eat five meals a day and work constantly to keep up the calories because even with the weight gain I've had on my diet I'm still considered too thin it's taken me years just to get to 45 kg
It's so crazy that it is not socially acceptable to comment when someone is overweight, but if you are skinny, anyone can say anything! I am a naturally thin person and if I had a dollar for every time someone commented on my weight or worse called me a Skinny Bitch or alike, I would be a frieking millionaire! We all come in different sized packages, one persons 'healthy weight' could be very different to the next persons, so worry about yourself and keep your mouth shut! Sorry, rant over..
"not socially acceptable to comment when someone is overweight"... are you kidding me? If you opened your eyes a little you'd know that it's still open season on "us fatties". You only have to see the number of "no fat chicks" bumper stickers that get around. I've been an incredibly large person my entire life and there isn't a day that goes by that I'm not judged for what I wear, what I eat, whether I am exercising or not.
Some might say it's "over-generalising" but from my point of view, it's people like you (naturally thin) that are the worst when it comes to judging us overweight/obese people. You subscribe to the "but I'm naturally thin" agenda, but can't get your head around the fact that some people (no matter how hard they try), will never reach their "healthy weight range".
You are right though, people need to pull their heads in and worry about themselves and not judge others for their weight 'journeys'.