Time and time again, we all find ourselves daydreaming about that perfect summer body. What if my stomach had more muscle? What if my legs didn't jiggle as much as they do when I walk? HOW THE HELL does one achieve a thigh gap?
Don't worry, you're not alone.
While this is common for us all to think, is it healthy for it to take over our lives? Too many times I log onto my Instagram or Snapchat and see these beautiful girls complaining that they're fat or ugly. While I understand insecurity (we've all been there, it sucks), I hate to see this insecurity be a driving factor in someone's everyday mood.
I don't know what religion you practice or ideologies you follow, but for whatever reason, we were put on this Earth. While I don't know why or how, I do know that we are not given this short time on Earth to spend hating our bodies or wishing to have someone else's.
Life is so short; the quicker we all realize that, the better. Our bodies are simply shells for our souls. As cliche as it sounds, our bodies are only there to help us experience life to the fullest. The moments in life that we'll remember are those we spent laughing and loving, not comparing and self-deprecating.
Another point I want to hit is focused around standards. We all try to live up to this standard that having a petite body and unrealistic curves is the norm. We are setting the bar so high for ourselves that it's almost unattainable! We are living up to societies standards of a "perfect body" instead of our own. As long as you're healthy and happy, screw society's standards.
While I'm still young and learning, being 19 years old, I have a lot of experience with issues of my own self-image, particularly in high school. Being a teen and seeing girls develop differently than you or fill into their bodies in their boobs or butt rather than their legs and stomach can really dent your ego.
We are so impressionable at such a young age, so why are we being told that we need to have a perfect body for anyone to look at us? Why is that the first thing we focus on when we want to attract someone? We want someone to be attracted to us for us, not for our looks. So, why do we value them so much and put such heavy burdens on ourselves?
Because society tells us to.
We look up to those above us as direction for what we should look like. With celebrities like Khloe Kardashian promoting weight loss products that literally serve as laxatives, how are we supposed to have a healthy image of self-love?
We are all created different, and I believe that if we were all meant to have a perfect body, we would all be born the exact same. Embrace your differences and embrace them with confidence. Be proud of who you are and let the world know that you are you, and that's more than enough.
Live your life by setting and achieving goals. If one of those goals happens to be losing weight or toning up, go for it, sis! But don't let the overwhelming pressure of attaining a perfect body control your life.
