“Skinny Skinny”, the Ultimate Anthem Debunking Society’s Body Standards
Source: Ashton Irwin Youtube
5 Seconds of Summer member, Ashton Irwin, released his debut solo single “Skinny Skinny” along with a breathtaking music video that beautifully illustrated Irwin’s personal struggle with body image on Sept. 24, 2020. Fans and new listeners alike danced and cried in their rooms while Irwin whispered his personal struggles into their ears for the first time as a solo artist.
Irwin opened up on an Instagram post soon after the single was released and explained, “When writing 'Skinny Skinny' I first thought of myself, and many other young people's struggles with body image and particularly body dysmorphia. It’s something I’ve never confronted in a creative form and I am feeling strong in saying 'Skinny Skinny' goes directly to that painful place in my mind."
In Irwin’s many years in the public eye, he has not been one to shy away from how he feels. Although many deeper conversations have been looked over in the media because of the band’s brand and immense success, Ashton has shown himself to be sensitive and vulnerable time and time again.
Irwin’s new single is much more than just a new song to add to your playlist. Considering how rare it is for men to be open about body image and all of the factors that coincide with the topic, “Skinny Skinny” is a cry for help, a cultural reset, and another push at the outdated stereotypes and social standards that men continue to conform to.
In the song, Ashton cries “I'm skin and bonе, I'm made of nothing / My secret pose, my secret ending /You tear me up all of the time / My tongue is tasteless, my heart is barren / My fingers stretching into my larynx” which many listeners have read into to possibly describe bulimia.
Fans have praised Irwin for illustrating the immense challenges that stem from disordered eating and body image issues in a realistic way that is not romanticised. In releasing this single along with the music video, Ashton put himself in a very risky and vulnerable position. Body image and eating are some of the most tabou and sensitive topics to discuss because everyone has a different relationship with the issues.
Irwin was already being brave by opening up a page of his diary and sharing it with the world, but the addition of the subject matter makes his single even more impressive. Irwin eloquently navigated the steep and undiscovered road of men singing about their bodies in a way that spoke to him and to his audience.
The single was soon followed by the release of Irwin’s debut album that had the same effect on fans as his single did. Ashtons transition from punk boy band to mature adult is also worth mentioning. In 5 Seconds of Summer’s early days, the band was portrayed as a group of ratty boys who made music for their coming-of-age, teen audience: The boys wore muscle tanks, ripped skinny jeans, and were pierced all over their faces. This was by no means a bad phase. They built a fantastic and loyal fan base and released some of the most iconic songs of the 2000s.
However, the immense growth and transformation that all of the boys in the band have had from that time to now is truly remarkable. In the 5 Seconds of Summer’s latest album, “CALM”, many of the songs scream stories of the “old” versions of the boys, how they have changed, and how they reminisce on their pasts. In simply their outer appearance alone, you can tell that they each have found themselves in their own unique ways. As a fan, it is a privilege to see how perfectly each of their personal evolutions blend together to make what we know as 5 Seconds of Summer.
Although the band collectively opened up about their personal growth, Irwin took the reins on telling his own story. After Ashton’s released his album “SUPERBLOOM”, he shared that he and his closest friends spent some time in the desert in California to celebrate. On Instagram he told his followers that “once upon a time I would’ve celebrated something like releasing an album with 2 shots of bullet rye whisky to start, followed by 10 to 15 bourbon and diet cokes, followed by whatever else I could drink and still be coherent enough to enter the dark place I used to go to. Doesn’t sound like celebrating a good thing to me. This image shows trust, community, friendship and understanding. I haven’t felt this close to people ever. We gathered in the desert to celebrate our work on superbloom. I have forgotten many things in my life. This memory will not be forgotten, but close and dear to me, forever.”
To me, that sounds like true, inner growth. As someone who wholeheartedly admires Ashton so much, it frankly warms my heart to see such positive, creative energy seep out of a person. So thank you Ashton for opening up to yourself and to the world. You have moved not only me, but thousands of others to embrace their aucentucity and live their truth.