A few years ago, being ultra skinny was the ideal body type. The thinner you were, the more clothing brands wanted you to represent them. Size 0 was the goal and anything over a size 4 was considered a "thicker" body type. To some degree, that is still true today. Although now, everyone wants to have the body of a Kardashian (i.e. a large bust, tiny middle, and bubble butt). Even though models in the fashion industry are still thin and tall, social media has dubbed the extreme hourglass figure the ideal body to have. In the 90's, if you asked your husband, "Do these jeans make my butt look big?" and he said yes, he would be in the dog house. In today's world, he would be praised and those jeans would become that woman's new staple.
Don't get me wrong, I am all for embracing one's curves or lack thereof. The world today is beginning to embrace plus size models more and more and I love that Ashley Graham (who made history by being the first plus size model to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated) can be a role model for women. But what about us girls stuck in the middle? The size 6-10, who aren't quite considered model skinny, but aren't plus size either? I look around and don't see any representation for us "average" body types in the spotlight. We seem to be overlooked and sometimes out shined because we aren't "curvy enough" or "thin enough". We're right smack in the middle, labeled as average, and deemed not worthy of recognition in the battle for body positivity. Well, I'm here to tell you otherwise.
I personally struggle with my body image daily, as I'm sure the vast majority of women do. Some days I wake up and feel skinny and other days I wake up and feel chunky and bloated. There is no in between. I am usually a size 8, depending on the brand. I have a smaller bust (by society's standards), a relatively smaller abdomen, and thick thighs. I have a stress pooch (as I like to call it) and cellulite and that is okay.
The last time I was a size 2 was when I was in middle school. Then high school hit and the curves set in. Not the kind you would find on Nikki Minaj or J-Lo, but I wasn't stick thin anymore. I was relatively fine with my body (except for that darn stress pooch that I just can't seem to shake!) until my thighs blew up as well. I didn't like the way I looked in pictures and sometimes I still don't, but here's the thing: I have to learn to be okay with my body. We all do.
Now, wait a second... Am I telling you it is okay to be well overweight as long as you come to terms with that? Or that it's okay for you to skip eating because you like your body when it's malnourished? NO! And if you need more convincing you can talk my dietitian sister about it. I'm saying all women need to come to terms with the way they look at a healthy weight, no matter the dress size. We need a reminder to be okay with being a 6,8, or 10 dress size. I will never be a size 2 again. It's just not the way God designed my body. If you are at a healthy weight and still aren't a size 4, embrace it! Work your angles and accentuate the parts of you that you love! Work with what you have and don't fret about what you don't. If you want to lose weight, go for it! Just learn to appreciate the body that you have, no matter the dress size. Even if society tells you otherwise, you are truly beautiful.
