Being comfortable in your own skin is probably one of the hardest things I have yet to accomplish. It seems that trying to feel happy with what you already look like is more of a chore rather than something that should just come naturally. Friends and family find it confusing how I can never see myself "the way other people see you." I guess that's just what body dysmorphia really is. When every reflective surface you come across just shows back an image that you can't bare to look at, it kind of is impossible to fully love yourself. It is not as easy as everyone else claims it to be.
The point of this article isn't to give myself a place to complain about how I cannot achieve full happiness with myself. Instead, it is to reach out to people who can relate to what I am saying and to offer a helping hand. Each day I am learning new ways to love myself for who I am and to be more acceptive of my flaws because they are what make me who I am. The idea of having a "perfect body" really makes me wonder where this body image standard even came from. How did I even create this preconceived notion of what I am supposed to look like? When did everyone start becoming obsessed with trying to look like everyone else around you instead of embracing how you already are? I feel like if we break these standards that many people feel pressured under, then maybe we would not have anything to compare ourselves to.
Every day we are reminded of everything we are not and everything we do not have. There are different types of media that either want to help us accept ourselves or want to offer tips on how to change your body. It is a constant battle of not being sure which path to follow. Throughout different generations, there are new types of "body image standards" that are being created. So, to figure out where these standards even came from could help solve the issue of even having an ideal body type.
Loving yourself and your body is obviously easier said than done. One of my favorite songs that I discovered over a year ago is "Body Love" by Mary Lambert. This song shows the raw side of girls trying to feel accepted with what everyone else is doing. It's brutal honesty depicting how women go through daily struggles to accomplish this ideal body image created an opening for me to realize how corrupt our society is in the way we view ourselves. Although, body/eating disorders are a mental illness, societal pressures definitely add to this battle. Body image is a topic that is very sensitive and it is important to be careful with how you go about it. "Body Love" really is explicit with how she describes different situations, but it is important for people to realize the reality of what people go through every day.
Every body type is beautiful and it is time to finally stop shaming all the different types of shapes and sizes that everyone comes in. We need to start treating our bodies like it is our homes. We need to be comfortable with the bodies we are in and take care of ourselves the way we should be because we only get one.
"You are no less valuable as a size 16 than a size 4.You are no less valuable as a 32a than a 36c. Your sexiness is defined by concentric circles within your wood. It is wisdom. You are a tree stump with leaves sprouting out. Reborn."
