What is body image? Well, body image is how you see yourself, whether it's through the mirror, in pictures, or what you think you look like in your mind. It isn't just physical, it deals with how you feel about your body. It's whether you're comfortable with how you are or aren't. It is well known that these body images can be negative and that they can be linked to many mental or physical health issues, so I won't be going into detail.
Society has built up a specific requirement as to what you should look like as a young girl, woman, young boy, or man. More often then not, this list is virtually unattainable. There are many campaigns that have been trying to add their own opinions on what they think is up to society's standards. In this article, the main audience that will be targeted are people who identify as a woman.
A few years ago, Victoria's Secret released a new ad entitled "The Perfect Body" and it came under fire.
Many agreed that woman have enough to deal in regards to body image. These types of ads make women feel unsure about themselves and lead them to believe that by purchasing what they advertise, they are closer to attaining that "perfect" body and becoming happier. Many do still argue that this societal thinking contributes to negative thoughts and actions.
Other companies responded to this ad with their own.
Dove released their own campaign called "Real Beauty Campaign," showcasing women who are incredibly diverse in body types as well as ethnicity and other aspects.
This had a more positive outlook, showing that these woman are happy the way that they are. Dear Kate also released a photo that they had re-imagined for this case.
Since then, there have been positive things that have been happening. With over 26,000 signatures for a petition against Victoria's Secret, they decided to change the slogan to "A Body For Every Body."
It's no surprise that, to this day, body image is still in the same conversation. Calvin Klein recently released its first "plus" sized model, Myla Dalbesio, who is in the campaign "Perfectly Fit." She is a size ten. Now, this is why this sucks for people who identify as woman everywhere.
To me, this model looks absolutely stunning. In my head, I'd kill to have a body like that (something that society has drilled into my brain).
However, looking further into the picture, the brand Calvin Klein had said that she was their first plus size model. Here are some questions and comments that I, like many others, have asked myself.
"What? She's plus sized, seriously?"
"Another contribution to generations of girls with eating disorders and self-image problems."
"She isn't plus sized at all."
"Society is pretty screwed up when it comes to body image."
As someone seeing these types of media circulating around, it clearly shows how hard society can impact a person.
In my opinion, it is easier said than done to truly accept who you are and the way that you look. Trying to ignore these types of media and being able to love every aspect of myself is rather difficult.
One of my close friends, Tonisha, who I had spoken to on the issue of body image, said, "There are some days we love our image and think 'Hey, I look cute,' but then you remember that according to society, there is a certain look you must have and when that is remembered it ruins your mood."
This is very true. There are good days and bad days for how you feel about your body image. However, due to societal rules and regulations for how you're supposed to feel and look, there are very few good days and a lot more bad days.
Solutions to these "bad days" have been offered before, such as saying many times that you are beautiful just the way that you are. Here are some things that my sisters have said to me on the issue of body image.
The eldest of the bunch, Shao, told me that, "Body image really varies over time, its a sort of trend. One day the "look" can be skinny like a rail and the next trend will shift to having some curves on your body. It comes down to strength of one's mind. If someone is confident in themselves, body image doesn't matter on their priority list. This is what is lacked by modern youth. However, being the one to take the step towards changing the stigma of body image and the influence begins with the youth and the right training. With this 'training' we can teach this specific mindset to the future generations."
My second eldest sister, Chelsea, said,"People focus too much on what other people think. They just need to accept who they are and not care what other people think of them. If you base what you look like on how others see you, then you are never going to be satisfied with yourself."
It seems that the first step is to understand that the only opinion that really matters about what I look like and feel like should be mine.
Just as my clever twin sister, Mahina, said, "You only have one body. No matter what you do, you can't trade it. You can either treat your body how it deserves to be treated or watch it wither away." So, although the media and society are pressing you into a corner of choosing who you believe is right about what you should think your body should look like, it's really asking the bigger question of, "Do I care that I don't look like other girls? Am I comfortable with the way I am? Does it matter that I don't fit the stereotypes?"
Really, no matter if you choose to journey down the route of this article and begin asking the questions or choose not to, it seems that you have a lot of thinking to do.
