When you stand in front of the mirror, what thoughts begin to run through your mind? Are they positive ones? Or are they negative ones? Do they make you want to run and hide under a large sweater? Struggling with body image happens every day, and we are forced to confront it.
Everyday, I am forced to walk past the full-length mirror in the bathroom and look sadly at the reflection looking back at me. My confrontation with the mirror can ruin my entire day. Body image haunts my mind throughout the day; I am constantly self-conscious of my arms jiggling or my stomach flab. On bad days, I wonder why it has to be like this, constantly self-conscious and unhappy; then I remember that I am confronted and force to look at the standards of beauty every single day. That perfect beach body is shown on a billboard advertising sunscreen or that amazing toned, lean body advertising the latest technology in running shoes. It is like a never-ending cycle of commercials, advertisements or "Women Crush Wednesdays," and it is inescapable.
Unfortunately, the struggle for your body image just doesn’t stop at weight; the struggle with body image could be acne problems, crooked teeth, nose shapes, hair thickness, thinness or wanting larger muscles. So I figured there is no member within the population of a university that doesn’t struggle with some form of body issues. My question is why? No matter how much you tell someone they are handsome or pretty, they won’t believe you because they only see the flaws. The gorgeous girl sitting in the corner, who seems flawless, might be screaming inside because she is unhappy and self-conscience. The guy at the gym who is absolutely toned and ripped, might still look in the mirror and still want more. No matter how many times I go to the gym and workout, I see absolutely no results. I know it is happening, and I am changing, but I do not see it at all. Everyone tells me I look good, but I still see the person who started out this journey, and it pains me every day.
The most interesting is it that society, which means us, set some of the highest standards for ourselves. Without our agreement, beauty standards could not have come into existence. It probably is not you personally, but these standards became standards by people’s approval. However, many companies have started the battle against the normal, photo shopped, standards of beauty, by creating advertising campaigns telling us to love our bodies. But if we were the ones to approve the standards of beauty, then how do we react when a company is telling us to love our bodies. It doesn’t work. The CEO of a company can’t be the one to tell us to love our bodies, because that has to come from within. With all the compliments in the world, you have to be the deciding factor determining whether these compliments are empty words or if you actually choose to believe them. Loving yourself has to come from within; it has to be you who loves yourself for every flaw. Loving yourself completely takes time, but in the meantime, it is important to remember beauty comes in all shapes and sizes for a reason because if we were meant to all look the same, we would. Embrace the reasons why you are unique, and the loving yourself will come in time. Body image issues can consume your entire life, but if you remember to take it one day at a time and embrace and love one new part of you, in the future you will love every part of yourself.
