It's that time of year again. Everyone gets flustered about positive body image and the unattainable bodies portrayed by the media because the Victoria's Secret Fashion show is airing. Girls around the world start ranting about how the annual show is exactly what's wrong with media and use it as an excuse to feel insecure. We all pretend like we don't have a giant girl crush on Candice and the rest of the Angels while we bag on them for being thinner than we will ever be.
But I'm here to say that this yearly fashion show isn't meant to make girls feel like they need to suddenly grow nine inches and lose 30 pounds to be accepted by society; it's supposed to be an empowering event that leaves girls more confident because of the women they can look up to.
The main reason that the Victoria's Secret Angels become Angels isn't because they are all six feet tall with perfect golden ringlets and washboard abs, it's because they're confident. Of course being actually flawless has something to do with the girls they choose, but no matter what you look like, it wouldn't be an easy feat to strip down to your underwear and walk across the stage in front of millions of people.
It takes a sort of confidence that the Angels carry with them every day. They make each step they take on the runway look like they're stepping on the souls of any boy that was ever mean to them. They're completely confident in who they are and that's something admirable that girls everywhere should start to adopt.
The girls on that stage seem like they genuinely care about each other and are total advocates for girl power. Although they know the show is being taped, it's hard to fake how genuinely they interact with each other and even the female performers like Selena Gomez this year or Taylor Swift in 2014. The songs that are chosen for them to walk to are meant to give off a sort of "girls gotta stick together" essence — and this is important to realize, then take away from the show.
The Angels don't want girls to think that to be beautiful they have to have the exact same bone structure and body type that they do; they want to portray confidence and class, and I think they do a pretty darn good job at it.
So instead of hating yourself while watching the Victoria's Secret Fashion show, give yourself a break and remember that maybe you won't have Gigi Hadid's legs or Lily Aldridge's waistline, but you can be just as confident as anyone on that stage in your own skin.
