Let’s face it: I bet 99% of people who are reading this article are unhappy with the way their body looks: I know I’m not happy with my own body, and I’m the one writing this article! It’s a fact, and I don’t blame any of you. The idea of the “perfect body” has been slammed into our heads by media outlets for decades, and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. We need to talk about that.

Yes, I can acknowledge that society itself has improved the way different body types are perceived; for example, “plus size” models like Ashley Graham and Iskra Lawrence have received an equal amount of positive recognition as Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner do. They also use their recognition to promote body positivity among people (more specifically young women). We also see actors and comedians like Melissa McCarthy, Amy Schumer, and Chrissy Metz who are among the “larger” Hollywood members. However, there simply aren’t enough of these “plus size” models or “curvier” actors to say that society has greatly improved the way we view body types above a size four.

Everyone, especially teenagers, are made to feel bad about themselves. You see pictures of celebrities in bathing suits or low cut dresses, with either a raging compliment as a headline or a raging insult. The insulting side of these articles tend to occur more among females in Hollywood rather than males, but that doesn’t mean men completely escape negative attention, either. Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill have been under fire for being “underweight.” However, there’s a huge detail that people tend to miss when comparing themselves to these celebrities: they all have celebrity trainers and nutritionists, and the average human being has the Internet and their local gym. Of course, I can’t have ab muscles like Kate Hudson or Jessica Alba; I’m a broke college student with absolutely no money to spend on a trainer or nicer gym membership.

It is such an unfortunate problem to watch overtake the lives of so many people desperate to look like an almost impossible-to-achieve body type, when they are so wonderful the way they are. With my personal experience, I’ve always felt a little “bigger” than the rest of my friends, or I’ve always felt a little bustier than everyone around me. I pick my clothes around what my boobs look like in a shirt because if they show too much I think they make me look fatter. I don’t go above a certain bra or pant size because I refuse to believe I’m a size bigger than the theoretical size 8 I fit into, and if I don’t fit into an 8 or lower, I stop buying clothes. I go on diet after diet hoping I won’t have to eat “healthy” after I fit into a certain dress, and I develop unhealthy eating habits from depriving myself the food I actually want. This is a reality I’m sure many people relate to, and it really has to end.

We have to stop telling ourselves we’re fat. Everyone has fat somewhere, and some have more fat than others. Body type is such a diverse, beautiful thing: there’s more than fat or skinny. And, skinny shaming is just as prominent as fat shaming. We have got to stop body shaming people, or this vicious cycle of food deprivation, eating disorders, depression, and anxiety, which all can sometimes stem from the idea of “the perfect body” will never end.

Here’s an idea: instead of thinking “I need to lose weight” or “I need to eat less,” start with replacing “I need” with “I want.” If someone really wants to lose a little weight to feel more confident in themselves, they should go for it. If someone wants to gain a little more muscle, they should go for it! If someone is completely happy with who they are and has no desire to lose any weight at all, all the more power to them. Again, body type is this beautiful, diverse, unique, positive trait, and we should treat it as such. No more negative body stereotypes, no more negative news articles talking about dramatic weight loss or gain, and no more body shaming. It’s done, it’s over with. You are beautiful, rolls or no rolls, boobs or no boobs, ab muscles or no ab muscles, so stop listening to the media saying you’re not!