Saturday, June 21, 2014
I think we can all agree that when it comes to being on the Internet, there’s absolutely no way to know what everything’s about and a well-meaning hashtag can actually make you look like an idiot if you’re completely unaware of the background of said hashtag.
Take, for instance, this new #feloncrushfriday trend that took place after a mug shot of Jeremy Meeks was
That very same thing recently happened to Adam Richman of Man vs Food fame. Richman recently lost some weight and has made headlines promoting his new healthy lifestyle and showing off his much slimmer body. That’s great. He’s totally not a douche for that, and I sincerely congratulate him.
That’s not the end of this, however.
In a recent Instagram post, Richman used the hashtag #thinspiration which may not mean much unless you have the context behind it (similarly to #feloncrushfriday). What Richman didn’t understand is that #thinspiration often circulates in eating disorder communities and is used on photos of emaciated bodies that promote thinness over food, health, and healthy living. These communities often discuss tips on how to purge and starve—activities which promote mental disorders that I have personally struggled with that are some of the hardest fucking things I’ve ever tried to overcome that ravage people’s health, minds, and bodies. It’s the exact opposite of the inspirational message he was going for. A little research behind the hashtag can be quite eye-opening. Sites like Tumblr and Pinterest have actually banned Thinspiration boards because they’re more often than not pro-anorexia. No shit. If that sounds nuts, it’s because it is and that’s why this has led to these sites policing this kind of content. Instagram itself has a content advisory in place for the hashtag.
The problem isn’t so much with Richman’s usage of #thinspiration. He’s only human, and as such, it’s to be expected that he is ignorant of some things. As I said originally, there’s no way we can know everything there is to know about a trend. His reaction to being educated about it was really fucking horrible though. Instead of embracing the fact that he fucked up and taking the opportunity to learn from his followers and be supportive and educate himself, he called the woman attempting to teach him about the context of the hashtag a cunt. yeah…a cunt. He also said he didn’t give a fuck about the context of the hashtag and instructed a follower who also attempted to explain the hashtag to grab a razor and draw a bath because no one would miss her.
I could totally have overlooked the ignorance of the hashtag. I really could have. But telling someone to kill themselves because they have an understanding of something you don’t? That’s far over the line. He said he was just trying to inspire people to live a better lifestyle, but apparently all losing weight has done for him is turn him into the kind of angry jackass that thinks he can’t be corrected and doesn’t need to take any responsibility for the shit he says. What’s so fucking healthy about that?
That’s not inspiration for a healthy lifestyle…that’s just proving you’re a douchebag whose only inspirational effect is teaching us how to not handle ourselves in a public forum. So, thanks for that, at least, asshole.
In a recent Instagram post, Richman used the hashtag #thinspiration which may not mean much unless you have the context behind it (similarly to #feloncrushfriday). What Richman didn’t understand is that #thinspiration often circulates in eating disorder communities and is used on photos of emaciated bodies that promote thinness over food, health, and healthy living. These communities often discuss tips on how to purge and starve—activities which promote mental disorders that I have personally struggled with that are some of the hardest fucking things I’ve ever tried to overcome that ravage people’s health, minds, and bodies. It’s the exact opposite of the inspirational message he was going for. A little research behind the hashtag can be quite eye-opening. Sites like Tumblr and Pinterest have actually banned Thinspiration boards because they’re more often than not pro-anorexia. No shit. If that sounds nuts, it’s because it is and that’s why this has led to these sites policing this kind of content. Instagram itself has a content advisory in place for the hashtag.
The problem isn’t so much with Richman’s usage of #thinspiration. He’s only human, and as such, it’s to be expected that he is ignorant of some things. As I said originally, there’s no way we can know everything there is to know about a trend. His reaction to being educated about it was really fucking horrible though. Instead of embracing the fact that he fucked up and taking the opportunity to learn from his followers and be supportive and educate himself, he called the woman attempting to teach him about the context of the hashtag a cunt. yeah…a cunt. He also said he didn’t give a fuck about the context of the hashtag and instructed a follower who also attempted to explain the hashtag to grab a razor and draw a bath because no one would miss her.
I could totally have overlooked the ignorance of the hashtag. I really could have. But telling someone to kill themselves because they have an understanding of something you don’t? That’s far over the line. He said he was just trying to inspire people to live a better lifestyle, but apparently all losing weight has done for him is turn him into the kind of angry jackass that thinks he can’t be corrected and doesn’t need to take any responsibility for the shit he says. What’s so fucking healthy about that?
That’s not inspiration for a healthy lifestyle…that’s just proving you’re a douchebag whose only inspirational effect is teaching us how to not handle ourselves in a public forum. So, thanks for that, at least, asshole.
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Welcome!
What kind of person gets defensive and verbally attacks someone who is simply trying to educate them?
ReplyDeleteThat's right, ignorant douche bags.
I really wasn't too big of a fan of his to begin with and definitely have no desire to be now.