Being a younger female in today’s world has brought mixed feelings about body acceptance. The constant interactions with magazines, TV, social media and other forms of media have started to mold the minds of women all around the world. We are being told to look a certain way to be considered beautiful. Not only are we seeing many young girls struggling with body image, but they have no options when it comes to learning how to embrace their bodies. Why should we be told what is beautiful and what is not? Why can’t we all just be beautiful regardless of our shape or size? Three of the big influencers of body image are through social media, ads and magazine covers. Women see these forms of media on a daily basis. Ad campaigns like Victoria Secrets “Perfect Body” campaign has spark a ton of backlash on the woman they used for the shoot. Each one is about 100 lbs with ribs and bones showing. They are giving such a false impression of how the average woman looks and causing young girls to question their own bodies. Why don’t I look like that? Why cant my tummy be that flat? Is this what men want? Is this considered sexy? How do I get my body to be perfect like this? These are such unhealthy question that company are implanting in young girls and women. Other examples of this poisons belief are seen by Allure, Vogue, Cosmopolitan and many more. Just as a simple example, I Google searched the words “Magazine covers” and this is what I got as a result: I did the same thing with Glamour magazine company and this was the result: "The bottom line is that 50 percent of American women are a size 14 or above, so that means magazines [that aren't including plus-size fashion] are willfully ignoring 50 percent of their readership," said Redbook editor in chief Meredith Rollins. So what do we do as 50% of the female population who are not a size 2? Its time to embrace your body! Self love is something many women struggle with on a daily basis. The hardest part about self love is that no one can teach you to believe it besides yourself! We are women and we are strong. No one can tell us what is beautiful and what is not. Here is a good example: I painted a portrait of the ocean. After hours of work I think it is one of the most beautiful painting I have ever seen. I show my mom and she also things its beautiful. I show 4 more strangers and they too believe it is beautiful. The final person I show thinks it is ugly and should go right in the trash. So, who is right? Who gets to determine if the painting is beautiful or not? It is subjective!! There is not one person who gets to decide if my painting is beautiful or ugly. This same concept applies to our self-image! Not one person gets to decide what is beautiful and what is not. Not one person gets to decide what is perfection or not. Not one person gets to decide what is the ideal body type. Everyone is going to look different. There is no way around it. It’s great that we are not all made out of cookie cutters. We are different heights, shapes, colors, and sizes and that the most beautiful thing of all. When did this become the new normal? Did you know that if Barbie were a real person, she would tip over? She wouldn’t be able to stand at all! So why do we buy our kids these dolls? Uggh.. I am slowly learning to love my body. It is hard at times but I continue to work on loving myself and the shapes I am. Sure, shopping for clothes can be a challenge. It drive me insane when I walk into a store and try a shirt on that is a size medium and then walk into the store next door and I need an extra large. Either way, I buy whatever size fits my body best regardless of the stupid label and the letter on the tag. People ask me what size I am and I honestly can’t give them an answer. Usually the response is, “It all depends on where and what I am shopping for… so I don’t know”. I am a big fan of things that accentuate my butt and things that synch my waist. Dark colors are always a safe bet but I do like to try to wear as many lighter things as I can. I love skinny jeans with a looser top. If I can tuck it in, then I am one happy girl! High waited jeans and a cardigan are always a good way to get that combination of trendy and comfort. If I can get my hands on a great maxi dress with a jean jacket then my confidents shoots through the roof! Remember ladies; we are all beautiful regardless of our sizes. We all have flaws and struggle to shake off the negativity. We need to stick together in this crazy world. We are on the same team and we need to remember just how incredibly perfect our bodies are no matter the size or shape. Slowly, the fashion industry is swinging its views and providing great fashion options for all body types. My wish is that the beauty and fashion industry swings its views of body image to accept everyone as they are without judgment or separation of sizes. The industry defines “beauty” for us unfortunately. I would love to see a new definition written in the near future to incorporate and admire all women. Photo Sources:
funny thin to thick photo: https://lissyluli.wordpress.com/2014/01/17/real-women/ Barbie photo: https://fashionatjasminehernandez.wordpress.com/category/art-302/ Womnderwoman:https://shibambikamannablog.wordpress.com/2017/07/13/we-are-all-wonder-woman/
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
-Hello-I'm Kristyn from sunny Peoria, Arizona. I'm married to my amazing husband Jeremy, a mother to our incredible boys Benjamin and Bowen. I love inspiring and empowering others to see their true beauty and fight against the stigmas that society has created about beauty. Archives
September 2020
Categories |