In a world full of fake and unrealistic bodies, it’s hard for your average middle-class girl to find someone who isn’t their mother to look up to. Girls are constantly reminded via social media platforms, magazines, and even radio ads about all of the imperfections they have. It almost feels like an obligation to follow multiple beauty accounts on Instagram, just so you can learn how to properly contour your face, so that maybe, if you get it right, you might look a little bit like Kylie Jenner.
Nowadays, it is so hard for your average "pretty girl" or "girl-next-door" type to feel beautiful. Our minds are consistently filled with ideas and images of what perfection is and how you can achieve it. Full lips are very much applauded now, but what about those girls who were not born with them? Are they any less beautiful? Does this mean we, myself included, should run out and spend hundreds of dollars on lip injections like Kylie did?
One of the biggest focuses of the media is women’s bodies, particularly the midsection. Not a moment goes by that you're scrolling through social media and you do not happen to stumble upon a photo of Kendall Jenner, the Hadid sisters, or even plus size model Ashely Graham, who sports a completely different body shape to the other girls. The funny thing about social media and young women’s views on the perfect body type is that for those who are naturally skinny like Jenner or Hadid and who enjoy a healthier weight such as Graham, it is almost impossible to find a praised figure for the in-between body type. The “skinny-but-not-taught-and-toned” girl. Where are those real life examples for so many girls like myself?
This brings us to Lady Gaga and her much talked about Super Bowl Halftime performance. As I watched from the comfort of my friends couch, while eating wings, nachos, and many other classic sides, I found myself wrapped up in the performance. When Gaga removed her top layer, revealing her midsection, I was initially shocked by her outfit choice. The more I watched, the more I began to see my own body out there on the stage. I thought, “That’s exactly what I look like when I'm wearing a pair of shorts”. I am, by no means, over weight, and neither is Gaga. Do you think anyone would have said anything about her weight if she had chosen to keep her top layer on? No, you would not have even noticed, and I’m sure everyone would have said “WOW, she has a great body for her age!” Instead, because Gaga chose to expose her real womanly body, she was attacked.
Critics instantly took to social media bashing Gaga for being “fat”, “flabby”, and having a “gut”. What I find most interesting is, don't most of us have fat, flab, or a gut? I know I do, regardless of how much weight I can lose, even at my thinnest, 97lbs, I am positive, if I had put on what Gaga was wearing, and decided to dance around and pull off those incredible dance moves that she did, my stomach would look just the same. Not everyone is born with a sky high torso, not everyone can have abs, no matter how hard you work out, and that should not matter. Women should be empowering each other and celebrating ALL body types, not just skinny Instagram models or just plus size models. Instead, we should learn to praise the in between. Praise the girls who work hard to be where they are today, no matter if they have a “gut” or not. Praise the woman who had the guts to go out there in front of millions of viewers, knowing well what she looked liked, making the statement that we should all love our bodies, regardless of imperfections that the media has forced us to believe we have.
Lady Gaga is and will always stay, an inspiration for all types of people. She has lived her career as a strongly opinionated yet classy woman. She has advocated for those who struggle. She has showed us no matter how you may look, if you carry yourself well, and believe in yourself, anything can be achieved. It doesn't matter if you are “model skinny”, “fat” , or just the right amount of in between, be who you are and love who you are, because no one can bring you down if you don't let them.
