Look, I’m as irritated about body image as any woman. I’ve written about it before. The way we all feel inferior if we don’t look like the exfoliated, airbrushed, spending-three-hours-every-day-in-the-gym girls on TV. Sure, it’s realistic for some people. Some people could look like that. But many of us couldn’t, and to call that the ultimate standard of beauty is unfair and hurtful.

On the other hand, to paraphrase an infamous commercial: don’t hate them because they’re beautiful.

Lots of girls in Hollywood are unhealthy. Lots of them starve and lift weights to excess and do drugs to stay skinny and burn out. But plenty of them are just naturally skinny or pretty or smooth-skinned. It’s just the way they are. Why can’t we accept that?

Recently, Shanae Grimes, star of the new 90210, fell under criticism for being too skinny. Despite the fact that she’s regularly seen toting around massive Starbucks drinks (I guess she could be bulimic?) people have insisted that there must be something Very Wrong With Her.

Me, I’m willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she’s not eating 400 calories per day and pumping iron and shooting heroin. Maybe she’s just one of those skinny girls that we all hate, the ones who can burn up a whole pizza while sitting around watching TV. Hollywood is friendly to the naturally fit; they can stay attractive without any effort.

I think it’s unfair to assume that women who look like Shanae Grimes or Hayden Panettiere should be punished, persecuted, or mocked for the way they look. It’s as bad as making fun of fat people because they’re fat or ugly people because they’re ugly.

I’m not going to claim that there’s not a part of me who hates Shanae Grimes, as I sit here and eat celery and continue to fight off my Hairspray body. But at least I know, deep down inside, that it’s not her fault.

Keep suckin’ down that 1000 calorie Starbucks drink, girl. And have an extra one for me.

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