Comparing yourself to other women is unhealthy, counterproductive, and also, unfortunately, a way of life for some people.
We shouldn’t feel like someone’s perfections automatically mean that we’re flawed, and yet, it happens to the best of us.
Lisa Kudrow recently opened up about her body image issues when she was on Friends, and how she would compare herself to Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox. It wasn’t just teenage girls in the 90s who wanted to be skinny like the Friends. It turns out, women on Friends also wanted to be skinny like Friends.
Kudrow told Marc Maron on his WTF podcast that she felt uncomfortable because she was taller than her costars on Friends. “You see yourself on TV and it’s that, ‘Oh, my God, I’m just a mountain of a girl,’” Kudrow said. “I’m already bigger than Courteney and Jennifer — bigger, like my bones feel bigger. I just felt like this mountain of a woman next to them.”
Kudrow also opened up about losing weight “on purpose” while she was on Friends, and would then receive compliments on her slimmer frame regardless of how she lost her pounds. “Unfortunately for a woman, if you’re underweight, you look good. And that’s all I ever got,” she said. Kudrow also pointed out that being skinny didn’t equate to being healthy. “When I was too thin, I was sick all the time. A cold, sinus infection… I was always sick.” Complimenting someone who is slender yet sick can encourage unhealthy habits.
But now, Kudrow feels more comfortable in her body. “I have a whole battle all the time,” she said. “I end up with, ‘So what? So, alright. You’re older. That’s a good thing. Why is that a bad thing?’” We’re glad to hear the story has a happy ending.
Women have a lot of pressure to be skinny, and it’s often fueled by seeing skinny women on TV. However, it’s important to remember those skinny women on TV also have their own pressures to maintain and unnatural and unhealthy weight. The grass isn’t always greener, and at the end of the day, you should be happy with yourself as you are.
