I firmly believe that women and men, alike, have many struggles in life - some specifically related to their gender. Men are often told not to show emotions, while women are told to be meek and quiet. These examples of discrimination are not fair in either case. It's sad that our society still divides gender so harshly. That being said, I believe women have it much tougher when it comes to body image and society's beauty standards. This is not to say that men don't struggle with body image as well, but a woman's body shape is constantly under scrutiny. Men can get away with having a little extra weight on them, but women typically cannot.

I want to talk about body image. Specifically, I want to discuss how hyper-focused our society is on what type of shape is the most "womanly." Society seems to think that certain shapes make you more of a woman than other shapes. That you have to look a certain way for men to find you desirable - this thought process is doing nothing but hurting everyone.

Lately, we as a society have taken some of the spotlight off of obese/overweight individuals. I wish I could say this has been a great change, but it hasn't. It has backfired. Now people who aren't bashing heavier girls are bashing the "skinny bitches." We haven't become more accepting. We've just put some of our judgment towards a new source.

Society says that if a woman is too big or too puny, she is not a "real woman." We're not supposed to be too thin, but we can't be fat either. We have to be in shape, but if we have too much muscle, it's weird. We have to have a flat tummy, but if our ribs show, we're disgusting. Women walk a thin line, and it's hurting us.

According to the National Eating Disorders Association, about 85% to 95% of eating disorder sufferers are female. Furthermore, an estimated 58% of college women are dissatisfied with their bodies. Those numbers terrify me. They should terrify everyone. Women have it really rough these days.

What's most infuriating is that any commentary on a woman's appearance usually focuses on what men want. Men don't want "skinny bitches" because they want something to grab. Or, on the opposite end of the spectrum, men don't want "fatties" because only unattractive men date overweight women. These are actual opinions that real people have, and these people are the majority. Why do we think like this? Why are we not thinking in the context of what makes us, as an individual, happy?

Girls get plastic surgery, go on diets and wear crazy clothes to make themselves look sexier for men. What ever happened to looking sexy for ourselves? Why should we give a damn about what kind of body type men like?

We tell young girls that they should feel beautiful no matter what size they are, but we aren't practicing what we preach. If we were, there wouldn't be such a divide between the "skinny bitches" and the "fatties." Girls wouldn't be stuffing their bras or going on crash diets or buying those weird pants that make their butt look bigger. They wouldn't care about that stuff because they would have no reason to think they weren't 100% beautiful.

We're teaching young girls that their bodies should be pleasing to boys' eyes, instead of teaching them how to love their bodies. We're telling them if they don't look a certain way, they're not good enough, instead of teaching them how to nourish their bodies and stay healthy. Our society is so backwards, it's no wonder girls are developing eating disorders at younger and younger ages. It's time to stop body-shaming. Our bodies are not just meant to please men. Your breast size or waistline doesn't make you any more or less of a woman.

So, if you are struggling with your body image or weight, please know that you are not alone. It's not your fault that you don't fit society's standards. Nobody fits society's standards. We need to start looking at everybody as being uniquely beautiful, because true beauty isn't in your waistline or cup size. It's in your soul. Love yourself first, ladies.