I cannot even make a reasonable guess as to how many times I've complained about my weight or looked in the mirror and hated what I saw. Being a girl in today's society is not easy. We are surrounded by pictures of stick thin women with big boobs, perfectly flat stomachs and thigh gaps. It has made a huge impact on all of us, whether we realize it or not. We've become unhealthy, physically and emotionally, due to the pressures and expectations of women's bodies.
Eating good food is one of the simplest pleasures in life and one of the greatest ones as well. We need food to survive. Yet, I'm pretty confident that at one point in every young girl's life, she has tried to not eat in attempt to obtain a thinner body (me included). There are so many things wrong with that. Reports of new celebrity diets and fads surface on the daily: Beyoncé going vegan and Kylie Jenner cutting out dairy. I've tried just about every single one of these diets, no matter how ridiculous, and you can bet that they didn't do much but make me unhappy. I drank some green juice stuff for three whole days (it was awful) and aside from not seeing the results that I wanted to see, I was extremely short-tempered and tired. Those diets usually ended in me binge-eating and hating myself even more. I know it's hard to believe, but you aren't just going to drop 10 pounds overnight. AND THAT'S OK!
I like to work out, but I also love to eat (way more). And just a handful of years ago, I didn't worry about what I was eating. Not because I thought I had to perfect body, but because I never thought about my body image. What size jeans you wore or how much you weighed didn't matter, not to me and not to any of my friends. We just ate and enjoyed food, as we should. Then the media took that all away. How sad is that?
We have become so obsessed with the way we look and, more importantly, the way other people think we look, that we have stopped living. Yes, being healthy is important. Exercise is important. But you should not have to stress over the pizza you had for dinner last night or starve yourself because you are worried about the way you are perceived. If you like broccoli and grilled chicken, awesome. That is great. But if you're like me, you enjoy Chipotle burritos and late-night Taco Bell. And you should not be ashamed of that! Being thin does not mean you are healthy. Nourish your body, and enjoy yourself. You don't want to die tomorrow knowing you could have had a Big Mac last night.
If you are happy with the way you look, then there is nothing more to it. Maybe you want to be thinner, drop a few pounds, but constantly stressing and worrying over the fact that you don't look like the cover models on Vogue is not going to make you any happier. You are beautiful just the way you are, whether you are a size 2 or 12. If anyone tries to tell you differently, then screw them. Because what you think and how you feel is all that matters.
It has taken me awhile to accept this and to be OK with the way I look. I know that I could probably lose 10 pounds, but I don't need too. My health is not in danger, and that won't change with a bowl of pasta. No one expects you to have this perfect body. No one expects you to look like the celebrities in the magazines. No one except yourself. And once you get over that, you will be so much happier and a whole let healthier. Because what you see in the media isn't real. Imagine what you would look like if you had a professional makeup artist, a photographer and an amazing editor: probably perfect and perhaps hotter than Kim Kardashian (yeah, I said it).
The most important thing I want to say here is that you are your biggest critic. When you think everyone is staring at you at the pool, they aren't. You think they are judging your not-so-perfect stomach, but guess what, they aren't. It's all you. They are just as self-conscious as you are. And finally, any guy that likes you isn't going to stop liking you when he realizes you don't have six pack abs. HELLO, did we forget about the #dadbod? Guys like a little junk in the trunk (wink wink). Annnnnd, if he does stop liking you, well, he's a douche- and that's for a different article at a different time. Plus, it's waaaay easier for guys to lose weight, and this is a fact.
Coming from a young college woman, love yourself and your body, and I promise life will be a hell of a lot more enjoyable. You are much more beautiful than you even realize. When you're friends tell you that you aren't fat, BELIEVE THEM. Because it's true; there is absolutely nothing wrong with your body, only the way you perceive it. I know that asking you to not be insecure is nearly impossible, but at least make a solid attempt. Be happy, eat an entire loaf of bread, but remember to fit in those fruits and veggies from time to time. At the end of the day, you get to choose whether you want to eat tacos and all the food you love, or stress over your weight and stop enjoying life's simplest pleasure. Your choice.
Also, remember to have realistic expectations of yourself. You are human, not a life-plastic Barbie. Besides, what truly matters is what's on the inside (I know, I know, I sound like your mom), but seriously. Being funny or smart is WAY more attractive than being stick thin 10 times out of 10. BE PROUD OF WHO YOU ARE DAMMIT! Give yourself some credit. You are incredible and worth so much more than the way you make yourself feel sometimes. Sorry Beyonce, but homegirl is not about to give up steak tacos just to look like you.
You know the saying, "If you got it, flaunt it. If you don't got it, still flaunt it".
^^^ DAMN STRAIGHT.
Disclaimer: No hate to the skinny girls out there.
