Body image is a touchy subject, which is why I want to talk about it. As a 19-year-old girl, I never feel exempt from the pressure that is literally everywhere around me. Advertisers love to do this thing where they make a certain body type and a certain look the ideal. So, when girls like me, who are 5'5" with an athletic frame, see a billboard with a 5”11 Victoria’s Secret model with a long torso and legs to match, how can it not be expected for us to want to look like that?
What advertisers don’t mention is that it’s unrealistic. Even the models, who are under constant scrutiny to maintain their appearance, don’t look how they are portrayed. It all comes with photo editing, lighting and the perfect positioning. And the reason why this method works so well? Insecurity sells.
It doesn’t seem to be something we can escape, either. The pressure to be perfectly thin, with a big butt and chest is so glamorized that when you don’t look like that, you automatically feel less than. I bet that your Instagram feed is full of pretty gym girls and swimwear models who appear to have the perfect lifestyles on screen. I bet you spend hours scrolling through news feeds, comparing yourself to every single person who you see fit that ideal. It’s disheartening to know that we’re a generation that can never be satisfied, never be happy with themselves. I only know this because I am guilty of it, too.
And then there is dieting. The way it is presented in the media is as some sort of savior for a summer body. But restricting yourself from food, or making it something you can only have as a treat, only makes you want it more. Then the restricting cycle starts all over again because you feel guilty. But why should you feel guilty? Food is food, and you need it for energy. The thing to remember is that eating healthy is all about a balance. You do what makes your body feel right.
People tend to think too much into the size of their jeans as the determinate for themselves as a whole, but will we ever be truly happy if we base our worth off of what other people see us as? The fat on the bottom of your stomach protects the precious organs inside your body that help keep you alive. Everyone has it, whether it is a little bit less or a little bit more. You are not the only one who has cellulite or stretch marks on the back of your thighs. These attributes are all part of the makeup of being human. I know that it is hard to accept that we all have it, since you will never see a model posing in a swimsuit with stretch marks on her backside. I think the most beautiful parts of people do not exist on the outside, rather, in their passions, values and inner-most thoughts.
The things in my life that make me whole are not based off of what I look like; they are based off of the people I surround myself with and the things that I love to do. And I know that is the same for you, too. I care about being healthy and about being fit, but I go to the gym with the mindset that I want to be stronger and better than yesterday. Not because I want to lose five pounds or to get abs like Candace Swanepoel. I’ve found that that mindset only sets me back. But if you can set goals for yourself that are attainable, it is easier to motivate yourself to reach them.
Through my own struggles, I’ve finally come to a place where I can say that I am genuinely happy with myself. Maybe it is only because I have decided that my life is too short to be consumed with worrying about what other people look like. I make an effort to look at myself in the mirror without any judgment. I removed accounts from my sight on social media that only celebrate one type of look, because I figure that if I’m only going to be feeling bad about myself by seeing them, there is no reason for them to be there. I am grateful for everything that makes up me.
