There are so many campaigns going around supporting self-love and body image (like Aerie's Untouched Ads campaign! You can check out Huffington Post's article about it here.) Despite all the campaigns, there are so many girls, too many in fact, that are insanely self-conscious about themselves. They are constantly worrying about what they look like in a swimsuit, they worry that wearing stripes will make them look fat, and they think they if they don’t weigh a certain weight, they're overweight.

I think this is all a bunch of bologna and it needs to stop.

I mean... sure, if you aren’t happy with the way you look, change it. There’s nothing wrong with that. Just make sure you’re doing it the right way.

1. Make sure you never, ever, ever starve yourself or binge eat. These are serious conditions that can have horrible long- term effects on your body.
2. Don’t over exercise. Going to the gym for 6 hours a day is not the way to lose weight. Running won’t hurt, but 2 hours on the tredmill, 3 hours on the elliptical, and 1 hour of core is not the healthy option. (Exercise is still extremely important though!)

We all want to look a certain way, fit a certain mold, and be accepted. But why? Who made these standards? Who gets to decide what is beautiful and what is not? There is not a body-God reigning from above that decides whether you are beautiful or not. Back in the day, a curvy body was a beautiful body. Now, people seem to think a thigh gap and a body hips is beautiful.

Why do we actually care what society has to say? Why do we need this constant echoing in our head of who we need to be or what we need to look like? It needs to end. Body shaming needs to stop immediately.

First of all, stop body shaming other people.

I guarantee there’s at least one thing you are self-conscious about. And I guarantee you wouldn’t want people going around announcing or pointing out your insecurities. Why would you do that to someone else? You have no idea what that person is going through, and you have no idea how hard that person is working to better themselves physically or psychologically. Is putting someone else down or making fun of someone else going to make you feel better about yourself? Nah. What gives you the right to tell someone if they are beautiful or not?

More importantly, stop body shaming yourself.

We are definitely our own worst critic.
Chances are, we will never look like Victoria’s Secret models. News flash: THAT’S OKAY.
When we are born, our body is meant to grow into a specific mold that we can’t control. Some people have health conditions that won't let them lose or gain weight. Some people naturally have narrow hips that won’t give them a perfect hour glass figure. It’s just not how their bodies are meant to look. Some people have a round face. That doesn’t mean they are fat. That’s just how their face structure is. Like bones… ya know, the things we can’t change. Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, no matter how much we diet or exercise, no matter what… our bodies just aren’t meant to look a certain way. Guess what? THAT IS PERFECTLY OKAY!

We need to stop putting our self-worth and self-confidence in the hands of people that don’t matter. Why do you care if you have some love handles? What affect does that have on anyone else’s life? Everyone's body distributes fat a little bit differently.
Why do you care so much about how big your thighs are? Chances are they’re pretty proportional to your body. Stop comparing your thighs to the thighs of your friend that is 6 inches shorter than you.

The “perfect body” image that society shows isn’t real. The pictures of those models aren't real! Those models really aren’t that skinny and their skin isn’t that perfect. Photoshop does wonders… it can make anyone look skinnier or have flawless skin. It’s not real, so stop trying to make it real. Stop trying to be something you’re not meant to be. Stop putting your self-worth in the hands of people that don’t care and that don’t matter.

Since when did numbers on a scale determine someone’s self-worth? Fun fact: it doesn’t. The weight on a scale is literally the downward force of gravity on your body. It’s physics. Are you going to let the Earth’s gravitational force make you feel bad about yourself? Uhhhh no.

Since when did the size we wear determine our self-worth? Another fun fact: it doesn’t. The size scale that different stores use ranges dramatically. People think they are “fat” when they wear a large at Forever 21, but little do they know that a large at Forever 21 might be a medium at Kohls, or a small at Old Navy. A size 4 pair of jeans at Aeropostale might be a size 9 pair of jeans at Hollister. The size of clothes literally doesn't matter. At all. It’s all based on the scale each store wants to use.

Think about it… people don’t get nearly as self-conscious about their shoe size as they do their jean size. When discussing shoe sizes with a friend I might say, “Oh yeah, I wear an 8.5 in Nike, but a 9 in Charlotte Russe sandals.” How is that much different from the sizes of clothing in clothing stores? Why are we letting little numbers on a tag determine our self-worth?

Here’s another thing to think about… a handful of muscle weighs a whole lot more than a handful of fat. So, you might be tone and muscular but weigh a whole lot more than your friend. It’s nothing to feel bad about. It’s just how your body is. Muscle weights more than fat.

It’s not a comparison. There is no comparison to others when it comes to body image. There is no competition. The numbers on the scale and the size of your clothes shouldn't matter. The only thing that matters is if you feel comfortable in your own skin (which you should, because you’re beautiful!)

I really hate seeing such beautiful, intelligent , down-to-earth women and men body shaming themselves because they don’t meet society’s screwed up idea of beauty. Beauty is relative. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. One person could think long blonde hair is beautiful, while other could think curly brown hair is beautiful. One person could think a face full of make up in beautiful while others prefer something a little more natural. Some girls prefer abs and big muscles while other girls prefer someone with something to hold on to. The thing you are self-conscious about could be something someone out there is falling in love with. Everyone has different taste.

So let’s stop hating on each other. More importantly, let’s stop hating on ourselves. Let’s love ourselves exactly the way we are and accept the differences.