It's that time of year again! The sun is out, school is out, and the days are longer. However, ads about being beach body ready are also out and all around us. I look at these images and see women who are comfortable with their body and lifestyle. I also see extreme abs, strict diets, and long hours at the gym. I find myself wishing I looked like that, but then I remember I am healthy and that's all that matters.
We get all caught up in wanting this perfect, skinny body that we forget that we are fine in our own skin. We forget that each body is unique and beautiful. We are in a vicious cycle of wanting what others have. Some naturally skinny girls wish they had some curve to them, while those with curves wished for a flat stomach and a thigh gap. It seems to me that this "ideal body" is different for everyone. We all have our own idea of a perfect body, but sometimes it is a bit unrealistic.
Some of us were given bigger frames, some long legs, and some are just small all around. It's that diversity that we should celebrate. The fact that each of us have our own body structure and genetics. But instead of embracing this, we are so worried about being different that we shame ourselves. Why do we shame what we can't fully change? Why do we feel the need to bring hate upon ourselves?
All that should matter is that we are healthy and that we are taking care of ourselves. We should stop worrying about what other people may say about our bodies at the beach and instead think about how we are going to spend that time at the beach. It should be a time of fun, family and relaxation. Not a time of shame, insecurities, and uncertainty.
I'm not putting down thinner bodies. I'm not putting down bigger girls either. I'm simply saying that this "beach body" trend needs to end. If someone wants to get fit for the summer, that's their choice. But the fact that it's on just about every magazine and every other television ad is quite repetitive and rather exasperating. It's not that our "feelings were hurt" by these ads. Its the nagging feeling that we don't look like these models that we are supposed to look up to. We are supposed to feel not good enough just to buy their products or gym membership.
If you want to get into shape and be smaller, go for it. If you want to eat that cookie and watch Netflix, awesome. We all have our own bodies, our own choices, and our own ideas. We are all individuals, not just on the inside but the outside as well. We must learn to do things that make us happy regardless of what others may thing or say or feel.
I am proud of my body. I try to eat fairly healthy. I try to stay active. No, I'm not under 130 pounds. But a number on the scale doesn't mean much to me anymore. Because I know that my worth goes farther than my weight or height. We all need to find this balance in our lives. To learn that health is not skinny. Health is eating right for your body, but also indulging. We are consumed with this idea that we must be tiny to be happy and healthy and that's just not true.
Be confident in what you look like because you are the only one that gets to look like that. And remember that cheesy saying, if you're at the beach, you have a beach body.
