From thigh-gaps and flat stomachs to thick thighs and Nicki Minaj “buns,” the body type standards change faster than can be kept up with.
In our society it is not socially acceptable to walk up to someone and say, “Wow, you're really fat. Maybe you should go to the gym, and eat a salad.” But in my own personal experiences, apparently it is 100 percent acceptable to come right out and tell someone they are “too skinny and need to eat a burger and put some meat on those bones.”
I’m sorry, but why is that kind of statement okay, but telling someone they are too fat isn’t? Isn’t that a double standard? There are viral posts and videos all over the Internet talking about loving yourself and accepting your body as it is, but those videos often portray thinner girls as the problem. Thinner girls are blamed for curvier girls having body image issues, but some of us, most of us, cannot control what body we were given, what it looks like, or how fast our metabolism is, just like you can’t. So loving yourself should never involve tearing someone else down.
Every one has their own preferences when it comes to body types. It’s okay for you to like bigger girls; it’s okay for you to like smaller girls. We all come in different shapes and sizes: skinny, fat, tall, short, big boobs, small boobs, blonde, red head, brunette, the list can go on and on because no two people are exactly the same.
Your body is the only one you have regardless of what it looks like, so what makes people think it’s okay to give you their personal opinion on something that is not relevant to them in any way?
It is encouraged to love yourself, and we often hear “I love my curves” but if I were to say “I love my skinny waist” it would be considered insensitive bragging and viewed as shaming others for not having skinny waists too. So, I’m only allowed to love myself if I’m one of the 68.8 percent of American’s who have curves?
Someone once told me that I am not allowed to be self-conscious or have body image issues because I’m thin. This not only is insensitive and ignorant but would be totally unacceptable if I told someone they should be self-conscious about their body because they’re overweight.
Meghan Trainor's hit single "All About That Bass," told us that you shouldn't worry about your size because "boys like a little more booty to hold at night." Why are you basing your self-worth on the opinion of boys? How do you know all boys "like a little more booty?" This line of the song was supposed to make girls feel a little less self-conscious, but what about girls with little to no "booty?"
The way society portrays loving your body should not glorify one and criticize the other.
