I want to love all of the body positivity campaigns that have come to grace magazine covers, advertisements, and the beauty industry. We’re making huge strides, it’s true.
But while I rejoice that there are finally more and more curvy women held up as beauty icons, so many body types are still not represented in most of these campaigns. I want to see people who are skinny, people who are curvy, AND people with other body types.
My weight is not spread in the way most models’ weight is spread. Beauty standards still seem to demand a sharp jawline, high cheekbones, a small waist, and a perfectly rounded butt. Where are the double chins, the stomach rolls, the cellulite, the stretch marks, the wider waists, the varied butt sizes? There are so many body types out there that are almost completely unrepresented in media and beauty.
Our cultural image of beauty is expanding, but not enough.
And what about men? Most of the movement has been targeted toward women. And yes, women’s bodies are often under a lot more scrutiny than men’s bodies. The beauty industry pushes itself most dominantly on women. However, we should be careful not to neglect the high bodily standards placed on men, as well. They have seen little change at all in their mainstream representation.
I love body positivity and I’m extremely thankful for these campaigns. But we can’t get so caught up in celebrating these strides that we forget just how far we still have to go. Most women still don’t see their bodies represented in the images we hold up as standards for beauty. We’ve already proven that we can change the beauty industry. We just have to keep fighting.