What happened to the beauty of a natural body? Why do body types go in and out of fashion? And at the root of the issue, why are body types a part of fashion? In the 50s and 60s thicker, more curvaceous women ruled the streets, and everyone prayed to look like Marilyn Monroe, whose clothing size varied from an 8 to a 12. In the 90s and early 2000s, women wanted to have the skinny look, with hipbones baring in their low rise jeans and their shoulder blades clearly visible in their backless dresses. But why do women try so hard to fit into the body style? And at what point is it no longer healthy?

I don't look like the girls I see on social media. I don't necessarily hate the way I look, but I definitely have problems with my body. I see girls on Instagram with perfect figures, and I see my own far-from-perfect body. The more time I spend looking at these girls the worse I feel. I have gone through periods where I would barely eat, I have nearly suffocated myself with waist trainers, I've gone to the gym multiple times a day hoping to look like these girls. I've considered deleting all my social media and not seeing these girls anymore but I'll admit I've basically become addicted to comparing myself. I see people writing to love my body the way it is, but that's easier said than done.

Todays "fashionable body" is consumed by unreachable standards. We, being conditioned to think a butt that doesn't match the thighs is a real body type, and that we just weren't fortunate to be blessed with them. We want thin arms, a tiny waist, big hips, thick thighs, and big breasts that sit up perfectly and perky because that's we're led to believe everyone has. Put simply, today's body type is plastic surgery.

Years ago women were having plastic surgery to longer like younger versions of themselves, but today girls are going to consultations asking to look like someone completely different (usually by actually pulling up pictures of other women). I make the distinction between girls and women because the amount of minors requesting to get plastic surgery is rising to an all-time high. So going back to body positivity, why is it so hard to obtain? I don't want plastic surgery, but I want to have the body that people gawk over! I exercise regularly and eat well, what else can I do?

The easy way to preach body positivity is to say "don't worry about what anyone else thinks!," "be comfortable in your own skin!," "love the body you were given!," but I don't. So what can I do? I don't want to count every calorie my whole life, I don't want to feel guilty for eating my birthday cake (which I didn't even touch because I didn't want to put on weight), and I don't want to feel bad that I don't have perfectly smooth skin.

I wouldn't say I want this body for the approval of men because it's not true. I want to love my body for me. I want to be able to look at myself before getting into the shower instead of looking at my feet as I pass the mirror. If I had the "end all be all" solution, I wouldn't be struggling with the body dysmorphia I face now. The smooth sleek bodies we see online have been photoshopped, softened, and slimmed down to condition us into thinking "They have a perfect body, why don't I?"

The ads that celebrities post promoting weight loss pills and teas have conditioned us to say, "Well it must work, look at them!" while they have had work done but won't come out with it. Another cliche remark is "As long as you're happy!" Although I really do believe that one. If you would feel more comfortable going to the gym every day, do it and be great. If you want to get plastic surgery and cosmetic alterations, be my guest and rock your confidence.

The thing I hate to see, and what I believe has set women back in terms of self-confidence, is when impressionable girls (myself included) believe that their body is all wrong because the ones they see online are perfect, only for the body to not be naturally attainable, but refuse to say so. Continuously saying that their perfectly sculpted bodies are natural is only causing women to believe their bodies are below adequate and causes men to have unrealistic expectations of our bodies. The closest thing I can say towards a solution is that as a society, and as women, we need to stop body shaming one another.

We need to stop talking down about the imperfections that we all have but are afraid to show.