“I need to be skinny.”
Those words are spoken way too often by most teenage girls today. The need to feel small and weightless overrides actual happiness. Compliments have changed from “Wow, you look beautiful” to “Wow, you're so skinny”. Girls post pictures in a bikini or a crop top and the first comment you see is "body goals!" It is safe to say that society has given us a distorted perception of what it means to be beautiful.
Girls go to such great lengths to try to fit this “ideal” body norm. They see magazine covers and look at Victoria’s Secret models and want to be like them. What they don't understand is that it is not natural. Instead of being healthy and enjoying life so many girls strive for this unattainable norm by starving themselves, trying fad diets or just becoming so preoccupied with weight and body image in general that it just takes over their lives.
Society’s idea of perfection has changed dramatically over the years. Women with curves such as the infamous Marilyn Monroe used to be looked upon as the perfect body type, but now all we see on the cover of magazines are stick thin models.
I have been around so many girls that will deprive themselves of their favorite foods for the fear that they will gain weight. We are all guilty of trying that new diet trend and succumbing to the idea that we need to lose 5 pounds by summer in order to look good in that new bikini. I would be lying if I said I always had a positive body image.
I think all girls have things that they don’t like about their bodies, but what they need to realize is that no matter what that thing is, it is what makes you, you. Every body is beautiful. You shouldn’t have to work to get the “perfect body.” So what if you're not a size 0? So what if you love to eat? You need to do what makes you happy. So many girls don’t understand that skinny doesn't mean happiness. Being skinny won’t make that boy like you more-- it will just make you feel empty. At the end of the day, if you are not happy with who you are as a person and how you feel, then you have nothing.
I want you to know that you are beautiful, and there are people that find you beautiful as well. Every body is different. I know it is so easy to tell people to "be happy with your body", but it is honestly the best thing that you can try to do. You are born with one body; the body that you have for the rest of your life. The best thing you can do is take care of it.
I think the most important thing for us to understand is that a healthy body is the most beautiful body. Some of us are born tall and thin, some short and curvy, and some in between. In the end, it is YOUR body, and you are the one in control of what happens to it. Be proud of your body, no matter the color, shape, or size.
We spend so much time obsessing over weight and other girls that sometimes we forget that there are far more important things in life such as helping people in need, or volunteering for a good cause. Those sound like far more rewarding activities to spend your time and energy on rather than stressing about how many calories were in that donut you ate at breakfast.
In reality, many of us will continue to struggle with body image--and that is okay. It is a working progress that many of us have to continue to strive towards. All I hope for is that in the future, you realize that being healthy and happy is the most important thing you can be for both your body, and your overall well-being.
