Growing up, we are constantly being showed pictures of other girls. Where we almost become programmed to believe that girls are someone you will be running this race of body positivity against, rather than with. But as you grow up, you come to realize who you'll stick beside and those who will stick beside you.
In high school, I was lucky enough to have a small group of good girlfriends. These girls were my inspirations, they picked me up when I needed to be and I would have done the same for them in a heartbeat. There were so many girls in my school who were always oozing with body positivity, and always wanting others to feel beautiful too. Leaving for school, I had the utmost comfort knowing I would come back to this same positive, heartwarming beehive of love and support. Or so I thought...
Although I would like to think that as the media becomes a more than worse place for girls to be showing off their bodies, girls would begin to band together to fight these negative impacts that come far too easily for any girl to be a part of. So coming home, you can imagine my disbelief and borderline disgust for the way people regard others bodies.
When I came home, I expected nothing but an outpour of love and admiration for people to be reunited. But instead, I heard only the negatives of being reunited. If you thought you could hide from the freshman 15, trust me when I say that the people from home will no doubt let that one be known. I heard multiple people commenting on both girls and boys about how much weight they had gained. "Did you see their weight gain?" "They blew up!" "The Freshman 15 hit them hard."
How disheartening it was to listen to these people who I had grown up with my whole life begin to bash one another for their minor change in figure. The media has begun to teach us, especially in this past year, how important looks are becoming. Look at Kylie Jenner for instance, she has gone from a sweet 17-year-old to almost a complete sex symbol in the matter of one year. Models' perfect air-brushed faces and thin figures are plastered everywhere we look. It's definitely not hard for one to become consumed by the looks of others, but who do we become when we begin to project these fantasy figures onto others?
So maybe, just maybe, when you look at the girl who's wearing that body-con outfit, you won't see a girl who doesn't know how to dress for her figure. Instead you'll see someone who is completely confident in their body and what it has to offer. Before you comment on an article of clothing being "too small" or "unflattering" you'll think about how that would affect you and the way you look at your reflection in the mirror.
We live in too judgmental of a world to be critiqing the bodies of our loved ones whenever we get the chance. So the next time you want to talk trash about the girl or even the guy in the corner for how he looks, try to find the positive things to compliment them on. You never know what people are seeing when they look in the mirror.
