Author: Chloe Olivia
This announcement in true Ashton fashion of course, the twenty six year old added a link to his bio in silence and waited for fans to notice; the site hinted at a big announcement with an email sign up for updates. The following day revealing the website was for his album called ‘superbloom’ and that his single ‘skinny skinny’ was premiering later that night. Many fans took to twitter to share how excited they were and how proud they were of ashton.
Fans also were quick to assure each other that anyone struggling with ed had no obligation to stream and that given the topic of the song to be careful what to post about it and to add trigger warnings. In such a large, hectic and exhausting fandom it was incredibly refreshing to see fans rally to protect and support each other, whilst supporting Ashton.
When skinny skinny finally premiered fans were overjoyed and watching the seconds pass till the opening scene appeared. The sound itself has a nostalgic feeling, almost ‘dad rock’ vibe. It gives me the feeling of a saturday morning when my parents used to open the windows and play my dad's records as we cleaned. The sound is almost like a reinvented and modernized version of the beatles, however the lyrics are simple yet are able to perfectly capture what its like to struggle with body image. The line “we always meet without permission” really clicked for me, it's always at the worst times I feel insecure, it's rushing to get ready and the zipper won't zip like it used to. Another lyric that stuck to me, “i wanna dance but i gotta stay in” I interpreted this as the feeling when you feel so down on yourself that being looked at sounds like the absolute worst thing. It sucks conditioning yourself to believe no one like you and that no one could perceive you as beautiful because you’ll never see yourself portrayed that way in the media or even in your own circles. Growing up and even now i struggled with feeling worthy because little kids would ask me if i was pregnant because of how obvious my stomachs stuck out.
As for the video the visuals were incredible and so well done. His dancing amazed me as he was able to tell a story through his movements. I noticed how he dances facing away from the mirror and saw that as how you can be confident when you don't look too close and how you tend to feel better about yourself when you detach yourself from social media and other things that influence toxic body expectations. Another moment was when we danced with the sledgehammer facing away from the mirror but as he approached the mirror the sledgehammer became heavy; i think this represents that in theory it is easy to love yourself and accept your body but in practice it can be incredibly hard and emotional. The video ends with him smashing the mirrors; symbolizes him finally overcoming body expectations and loving his body for what it is. I think everyone who watched the video left feeling empowered, seen and ready to smash their own mirrors.
This song was what i needed and feels so personal to me because it made me realize my favorite people feel the same way i do. The song made me realize no matter how perfect you see someone they may feel just like you and that someone likely sees you as perfect as well. This may sound ignorant but i never thought men struggled with body image as much as women do; listening to this song taught me body image issues is a universal struggle that goes beyond gender identity. This song made many males feel safe enough to speak up and their struggles with body image and body dysmorphia. I don't think many people can say their single started an important conversation and for that I'm so proud of ashton. Seeing so many people relate and start a conversation about body image and expectation is a testament to Ashton's artistry and lyricism. I'm incredibly proud of him and I know everyone else is as well. Thank you for your words and sharing so much with us; its helping more than you’ll ever know.
Be sure to check out skinny skinny if you haven't and pre-add superbloom!