Exonian Humor: Going Too Far

Exonian Humor is one of the highlights of our school’s newspaper. One can usually find a chuckle at the relatable struggles of being an Exonian at this page, whether it is dicking assembly, study “tips,” witty pictures or advice for surviving the aptly named “winter blues.” Last week, lower Audrey DeGuerrera published a poem on the Humor Page titled “Ode to the Thigh Gap.” The poem was structured into two separate columns, simulating the body feature “thigh gap” where a person’s thighs don’t touch.The thigh gap is known as a coveted symbol of thinness or fitness, and it is idolized and romanticized to an unhealthy point among people suffering from eating disorders. Those dealing with eating disorders can view this as a goal or a milestone in weight loss, so they judge themselves by the presence or absence of a thigh gap: thigh gap is labeled good or thin; no thigh gap is fat or bad.DeGuerrera wrote an article about how much she wished to have the glorified thigh gap, remarking humorously that she is a “slave to the thigh gap.” Both inside and outside of the Exeter bubble, many are enslaved by the idea that to be physically attractive, there must be a gap between their legs.DeGuerrera no doubt intended this article to be humorous, and her articles usually are, but this week missed the mark to a triggering point that made me—and likely others in the community—feel uncomfortable.This poem makes light of those who judge their bodies by a simple space between two legs and who strive to lose weight and attain a thigh gap through unhealthy weight loss. Anorexia, bulimia and EDNOS (eating disorders not otherwise specified) are relatively silent topics on campus, but I can personally confirm that the people coping with them are present. I have been open about my struggles with body image in The Exonian before, and I have been open with how uncomfortable it makes me that eating disorders are made into a joke, or that our bodies are shamed and judged by something like a thigh gap.DeGuerrera’s remark about “that one skinny girl who eats dessert at D-Hall” is a body-shaming microaggression. Who cares about whether someone is skinny or not? Who cares if someone eats dessert or not? Why is there a need to make jokes about these people? I have struggled with accepting my body the way it is, and I have come far in the process of recovery, yet hearing jokes like this makes people in the Exonian community judge themselves more closely—something that a place like Exeter has enough of as it is.I have a thigh gap–does it make me better than everyone who doesn’t? I have had comments from friends and faculty alike telling me that they are concerned about my health and the possibility I might be anorexic because of how thin I appear to be; the fact that I eat what I want is a source of more remarks about how I may be bulimic.These remarks are stressful enough, but being made into a joke makes me feel even worse. I know that I am not the only one on campus who struggles with body image either on account of judgments from themselves or those around them. Over half a million teens in America have eating disorders and a disappointingly small fraction of those are actually given treatment and appropriate resources for recovery. DeGuerrera’s subtitle “Starving Artist” not only makes these things seem trivial, but funny, normal even. And that’s the dangerous part—so many people now consider an extreme thinness to not only be “the healthy body,” but “the desired body,” which only perpetuates eating disorders.Let me be perfectly clear: I have no personal issue with Audrey DeGuerrera. She may have meant absolutely no harm to come from this article. Nevertheless, reading the Humor Page was a jarring and uncomfortable experience two weeks ago.Maybe you think that I am only reacting this way because it was so personal. Maybe you feel it’s “not a big deal.” Maybe you think I need to be less sensitive or to “get a sense of humor” as I have been told before when expressing discomfort pertaining to these sorts of issues. Mental health issues are not a joke.The Humor Page can continue to be a delightful respite from the pressures of Exonian life, if only the writers used a little more mindfulness when thinking about the people on campus. Exonians, I believe, are more clever than this and can be funny without being harmful.