I love my thighs. Nothing is wrong with them. Nothing was ever wrong with them. But somehow I was convinced there was in between the ages of 12 and 16. What does it say about our society if people including me are taught to change ourselves at a young age? And if we don't change, we learn to disapprove ourselves.

Body image is a sensitive subject. Yet, companies play on the low self esteem of others in order to make profit. I'm sorry, but my insecurities aren't for you or for anyone else to use to manipulate me. That doesn't matter though because it still happens. It happens all the time. Television screens, beauty magazines, advertisements- we are surrounded. I wish society would stop telling me how I should look and how I should dress. Why? Because I am my own person and this is my body.

This push for such a particular look is disgusting. The thing that's wrong with society's idea of beauty is that it excludes. How can someone say there's one way, one body, one look to be beautiful when everyone comes into this world different?

I don't care if my thighs, my waist, my measurements don't abide by your rules of beauty. They are me. There's nothing wrong with frizzy hair, flat hair, round faces, square faces, or anything else a magazine claims.

At ages 12 to 16, adolescents are vulnerable. The media has such a great influence on them yet they abuse that power to market themselves. And the consequences are evident. People wonder how others develop eating disorders and mental disorders. But it's not that hard to figure out when looking at the pressure put on them by their environment. Their minds are still developing as well as their bodies.

The misrepresentation of certain body types is a huge issue as well. In ads, we see models who are extremely tall and thin. There is little to no representation of any other body types. This suggests that the only one body type they show is acceptable. However, most people know that hardly anyone has that particular body type except for a small percentage of people. The models shown in those ads are put on particular diets and training. Even though many people know this, many still feel the need to have that body.

I would love to see more representation of other body types. If companies really want to do good marketing, then market to all of your customers. Let the customers see themselves in it, not someone else with the "perfect" body. We need shorter models, curvier models, muscular models, not so muscular models, and so much more. Instead of breaking us down to buy, why not build us up to buy?

People always seem to find "flaws" with their bodies. And that makes me wonder how they had come to that conclusion. How can a person find something wrong with themselves... More specifically, how is something defined as wrong or bad? Fat is natural. Body hair is natural. We are natural. Nothing has ever been wrong with our physical makeup. It is so important to feel comfortable in your own skin. Be happy in your own skin, but also know that your physical appearance isn't everything.

The bottom line is somewhere along the lines we learn to see imperfections in our bodies. I remember babysitting my little cousin who was probably around five or six at the time. She was playing around and I told her to hold still for a moment so I could fix her clothes which were moved out of place. It looked funky but she seemed fine with it. She asked me, "Why are you fixing it?" I told her, "So you can look pretty!" And then she replied to me, "I don't care about looking pretty," and then ran off to continue playing. I kind of just stood there for a moment. It was one of those moments you wished you were a kid again.

You say speak up for what I stand for? Magazine covers are overrated. Women are sexualized too much in the media. Believe it or not, it's okay for girls not to shave. Guys don't need to have abs just as women don't need to have certain curves. We are so busy looking at other people's bodies we forget to appreciate our own. Appreciate your body. Don't feel the need to be someone or something else. Feel the need to be you.

So many people are attached to the idea of obtaining the "perfect" body when they'd be much happier if they realized they didn't need to change themselves at all. Stop trying to change your body to fit the standards of others and start changing your perspective. Maybe just maybe, we can be the generation to transform the way people see themselves.