Picture this: a high school senior spends hundreds of dollars getting ready for prom; for what is supposed to be one of the best nights of her life. Has her hair done, nails, and the perfect spray tan shade to look good with her excessively expensive dress. Everything is all laid out for her to have a great night, except her obligatory Instagram post. Which angle is best to pose? Which is her good side, right or left? If her date has his hands around her waist, will her hips look too big?
This was me last spring. After finally getting the right picture to post on my feed, I felt the need to send it to my best friend to ask her to edit my gut out of the frame. After all, my followers couldn't see that I was in fact flawed. But why did I feel the need to do this?
Maybe it is because I am a dancer and spend the majority of my day staring at myself in front of a mirror. Or maybe it could be that society sets too high of standards for girls in the digital age.
Yes, I have a gut. And yes, I am curvy. And I am finally in the mental state where I can accept my body for all of the amazing things that it does. It took me eighteen long years of life to understand that when I am a little bloated one day, there is more of me to love. When did it become okay to comment on someone else's weight, and when did we give such high power to people who negatively affect our body image?
This is a call for action, ladies. Let's stop "instasizing" ourselves and accept ourselves for the size we are and our true beauty. Let's stop measuring our self-confidence level by the amount of likes we get on social media. Instead, let's use social media to empower each other and let each other know we love the way their ass looks in those jeans, because quite frankly, compliments mean so much more coming from our girlfriends.
In the wise words of Brooke Davis, "People are gonna label you, it's how you overcome those labels."
