She Said the Quiet Part Out Loud, Now What?

The Slim Kim controversy

A TikTok user by the name Slimkim took to social media to announce to the world that she loves being skinny. Who's actually shocked? The post was met with controversy, currently polarizing the internet. Some feel that she said nothing wrong while others feel the opposite. Here's my two cents that no one asked for:

Kimberly definitely said the quiet part out loud even though she really didn't have to with a username like hers. To me she falls under the category of those femininity, glow up coaches, so her saying something so gauche puzzles me. Being skinny is very socially acceptable—actually, it’s highly preferred—so she really didn’t need to declare that she loves being skinny. This communicates to me that while, very socially acceptable, being skinny is not enough for her. And it's because she is clearly trying to appeal to some proximity to whiteness, which can grant privilege. However, as a Black woman, an unambiguous Black woman at that, she cannot gain this proximity based on race. The system she is trying to please is heavily racialized to primarily account for race. Being Black is socially constructed to be the universal antithesis of Whiteness and ideals surrounding Whiteness, so being skinny is her only shot. And she took it. She does, however, make a few things clear: 1. a person's body type projects class status, 2. body type generates social currency, and 3. only being skinny is boring as hell. Slimkim only knows one way to market and present herself, and that's by being slim. How dreadful.

And just like everyone else, I TOO, am sick of the think-pieces and starting to believe that not every thought needs to be uttered, especially on social media. But this just felt too gross to ignore. I just want people to recognize that this is what the Black Alt-Right pipeline looks like, especially amongst Black women. Truly scary times as such women present themselves and their sentiments in a very innocuous and casual manner. It cannot be a coincidence that she is spreading this exact sentiment, at this exact time, on this specific platform. There's a rollback on progressiveness lately. As a society, we've become dangerously anti-intellectual and anti-progressive (right-leaning, conservative). She's trying to get in with the new regime, hence the proclamation of skinniness. For those who agree, just know UNLESS you are as skinny as her (size 00- 2; 4 is kind of pushing it), she DOES NOT relate/ever want to relate to you. She is using the early 2000s metrics. If you can't wear low-rise jeans comfortably, she is NOT talking to you. Now, EYE, too, said the quiet part out loud.