Women are always being body shamed, whether they are too skinny or too fat, too tall or too short. There is never a woman that is 100 percent happy with the way that she looks, and I blame society for this. We all know that we can improve when it comes to our "healthy" eating habits and add a lot more cardio to the workouts that we do, if any at all. We are constantly told that everyone has flaws and are pushed to accept the fact that we can't change them. However, both in and out of the media, we as a society are constantly trying to blanket them. Whether it is through using makeup or photo shopping pictures, I believe that society is starting to push its members over the edge. When do we say that enough is enough? The current standards that society has set for itself need to change. I'm sick of being told that I cannot be pretty because of my curves.
Let's start with the fashion industry. Women are encouraged to be a size zero to stand a chance in the fashion industry, especially here in America. While it is not bad to be a small size, undernourished women should not make or break what everyone needs to look like in today's society. We need to start showing some love to people who are not a size zero. When walking through the mall last week, I experienced a very disturbing concept. The "normal" mannequins were less than half the size of me, and if this wasn't bad enough, I was also bigger than the in-store "plus-sized" mannequin. Although I had never been named to be plus size in my life, I was still incredibly offended. All that ran through my mind is the sympathy that went out to people who may walk by the same store window and share the same thoughts. If this made me feel incredibly outraged, I often wonder to myself how people of a larger size than me must feel. I found it to be very coincidental that the "plus-sized" model was smothered in clothes, as if it would be a sin to show a little bit of curvy skin. However, the "normal" mannequin was seen wearing a shirt that covered as much as a bra would. I am not advocating that all women should be seen as sexual objects, nor should they dress like it, but shouldn't we be the ones who decide what looks good on us and what doesn't?
Many men ask the number one question: "Why do women think they are so fat?" Well, many of us could not answer this question for you. Whether it is because we have a skinny best friend or the fact that we cannot breathe and run at the same time, we just do. Quite frankly, a good portion of the male population does not help us feel any better at all. While we are told that men like curves, I have found it has often sent them running into the opposite direction. The definition of "thick" has evolved immensely in today's society, and it is getting smaller by the minute. I guess the real question is, why do we let men decide how we should feel about our bodies? If they don't like what they see, they should turn the other way. If a man only likes you for the body that you have and not the mind that you possess, he is not the right person for you.
Why do we continue to put ourselves under so much pressure to look entirely mainstream anyway? People are built differently because they are meant to look different. However, does the way that our friends and family view us influence how we think about ourselves? No. In a recent study, it has been found that "the image that we project is massively distorted and is up to two thirds bigger than it is in reality." I believe that this is true, however, I don't believe that this has always been true. Before the media access that we have today, women were a lot more confident in the way that they looked. It is because they spent less time online or reading magazines and spent more time having fun and enjoying their lives.
To sum it up, all of this is complete bullshit. No one should be body shamed, especially if they are healthy and in a state where they find themselves happy. Whether it is fat and short, or tall and thin, we are all different. We need to remind society of this idea. I am sick of seeing unhealthy and indisposed people advertised through the media just because they are the face of sex. And I am definitely sick of the people who stare at me when I go for a dip in the pool or a jog at the gym. We will take the time to love our curves because it is 2016, and I will be damned if society tells us that we aren't just as pretty as the size two standing next to us. We will stand with confidence and will not change our outfit because someone else thinks that they do not "lay" right on our bodies. I will not be body shamed anymore for the way that I look, and neither should anyone else.
