For as long as the media has existed, there has always been a “type” of girl that has been portrayed to the world as ideal. Whether it be Marilyn Monroe in the 40s or Taylor Swift today, the media has consistently been blamed for shaping and skewing our perception of beauty. However, with the recent rise of technology, the public has collectively vocalized criticism of mainstream media outlets’ one-tracked advertising in hopes of illustrating the fact that everybody is beautiful no matter what shape or size. Numerous large companies have launched campaigns promoting this mindset, including American Eagle’s #AerieReal collection and Target’s “Love Every Body” advertisements, and feedback has been mostly positive.
What we must remember in the midst of this recent body-loving movement is the importance of staying healthy. It no longer takes a rocket scientist to know that being a size 0 is not the only indication of one’s health. Nevertheless, we must not forget that in order to truly love yourself, you must treat yourself with the utmost respect and look far beyond the physical aspect of it all.
We are instructed to base our happiness upon if others deem our appearance to be acceptable or not, rather than how we feel internally. Social media subconsciously molds our minds to believe that looks are the most important thing, and being beautiful is the ultimate accomplishment, when in reality, there is so much more to life than that. Life is way too short not to enjoy every last second of it, but that should not be done at the expense of your wellbeing.
I have unspeakable amounts of respect for those who are able to completely accept themselves for how they look and feel comfortable in their own skin, as I, and the vast majority of women today, have yet to be able to do so. The ability for the everyday person to completely alter their appearance through countless photo-editing apps makes it extremely difficult to feel confident because we are constantly being compared to unreal expectations of beauty; not only do celebrities look flawless, but our best friends do too. With jean size, number of Instagram likes and self-confidence level put aside, it is important to find a balance in loving ourselves for who we are at this exact moment, and respecting our bodies and working to become the best versions of ourselves that we can possibly be.
While I’m almost always down for a night full of junk food and Netflix, today’s body-loving movement not only teaches, but also encourages us to eat whatever we want whenever we want, with exercise optional because you’re perfect the way you are. As much as I would like to live in a world where pizza has more health benefits than vegetables, and exercise is frowned upon, we simply cannot pretend this holds true. In a world where our self-perception is so greatly based upon other people’s approval, taking the time to step back and do something to meet our own standards of living is becoming increasingly rare, yet remains as important as ever. Society’s definition of “healthy” is ever-changing, but regardless of what that may be, taking care of yourself will never go out of style.
