PAGE 8
letters
Letters: winter weight article not Maimed proso light and playful
fession
IN LATE NOVEMBER, the Obiter
Dicta ran a seemingly light and playful article on how Osgoode students
could hide any extra pounds gained in
the winter months. The article detailed
how bold colours, structured tops, and
“make up enhancers” could create a
slimmer look. While these recommendations may aim to help individuals gain
greater self-esteem in their appearance,
they also have the effect of reinforcing
a broader culture of body shaming, particularly when it comes to women.
Whether the author intends it or not,
the unspoken and implicit message is
that weight gain is bad, unattractive,
and should be hidden. Our society is
saturated with these messages which
dictate and def ine what is “healthy” and
what bodies should look like.
We see this perspective supported
when the author states that these fashion solutions “of course” are not a “permanent solution” to “the winter frump
that involves no gyming”. The message
is not only that individuals with larger
bodies are necessarily unhealthy and
that they do not exercise, but also that
people with larger bodies want to lose
weight. Both of these presumptions are
untrue. Comments like these are problematic because they fail to acknowledge
the diversity of bodies in our societies,
and make some feel as if they should be
ashamed of their bodies.
From a young age women are regu-
larly bombarded with similar messages
around how their bodies should look
and be presented in public. The law profession is no exception. It is not unheard
of to see articles on skirt style, whether
pant suits are appropriate, and the
“correct” heel height for an interview.
Of course, there are a variety of ways
that we each choose to navigate societal
expectations around appropriate dress.
As we enter the legal profession, we
may make individual decisions around
the extent to which we want to conform to dominant ideas of professional
attire and we may sometimes choose to
adhere to various social norms. But this
sort of personal choice is different from
instructing others to do so, in a way
that reinforces and supports problematic expectations regarding how women
present their bodies.
A society where everyone has conf idence in, and feels good about, their
bodies is a desirable goal. A goal, I’m
sure, the author of the article and
I likely share. However, the way to
achieve this goal is not by shaming
women, explicitly or implicitly, who
have “extra” weight. We need to combat
and challenge the norm that larger
bodies are undesirable, and that being
thin is an ideal for which we ought to
strive. We need to celebrate the diversity and beauty of the different bodies
and people that make up our society.
-Danielle VanderEnde
» continued from page 6
need to be introduced to more lawyers
like this in law school. Their vision
and integrity will show us how to redef ine the meaning of success.
Lastly, we have to get a lot better
at talking about vulnerability. Relationships brea k down; they beg i n
anew; people change; people die; sometimes people are not well; dreams are
thwarted or deferred. These aren’t
signs of weakness or distractions from
the end-game, they’re the very stuff of
life, and they’ll take us down paths that
won’t always culminate in the corner
off ice and the cuff links that cost more
than a typical car. If we expand our
vision, these winding paths don’t have
to lead to “ failure”, but to an invigorated legal profession.
Krum Dochev is a 3L. His vision of
success involves gulping down a cup of
watered-down coffee in less than 60 seconds while running around Old City Hall
with a bunch of briefs during recess.
We’re not just looking for exceptional laWyers,
We’re looking for exceptional people.
Within our firm you’ll find lawyers who’ve closed billion-dollar deals, represented Prime Ministers and argued precedent-setting cases before the Supreme Court.
You’ll also discover adventurers, marathoners and humanitarians. Every year, through our summer and articling programs, we seek out students who, like us,
have both a passion for legal success and a desire to push themselves to their limit.
To read our lawyers’ profiles and see if BLG is right for you, visit blg.com/student
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Monday, November 18, 2013
The Obiter Dicta