I recently came across an issue I could not stop thinking about--for this reason I decided to publicly express my feelings on it. I came across a page for swimsuits in a "tween" magazine called "Discovery Girls." When flipping to the page, you are greeted with large, bubbly pink letters at the top which reads "What swimsuit best suits you" showing pictures of different styles of bathing suits with descriptions of which body type works best with that specific style for young girls. The three "body types" which were mentioned were written as "If you're curvy on top," or "If you're straight up and down," and "If you're rounder in the middle."

Now picture a young girl flipping through the pages of this magazine and coming across this article. She stops, admires her body and immediately places herself into one of these categories. Whether happy about her "category" or not, she is already being brainwashed by the flaws of our society. What if this young girl thought a bathing suit under a different "body type" was nicer than the bathing suit listed under "her body type"? What now? Is she is supposed to choose one that "fits her right"? Is she supposed to say no to the bathing suit she likes better because it is not "meant for her"? But according to who? Who are we to tell a young girl who hasn't even fully hit puberty yet that her body is only meant for a certain type of style? And really, who are "we?" Whoever "we" as a society are have no business telling another human being, let alone an impressionable child, what is right for them according to their body shape. Luckily, we are all born differently; some shorter, some taller, etc.

Now who has declared that taller is better than shorter? That thinner is better than thicker? What we seem to be forgetting is that these beliefs are socially construed. We are not born hating our chubby cheeks and baby fat, are we? Have we ever seen a toddler stare in the mirror with disgust? Or delete a picture from a phone because they think their arm looks fat? Absolutely not. Body shaming is taught, it is learned; it it is not human nature or natural to dislike the body we grow up in. How could we innately hate a body that helps us do the things we love- socialize, explore, learn, birth a child, love, etc. ?

More than anything, this magazine article saddens me. I am sad that one day I will have to raise a daughter in a world that believes clothing marked "one size fits all" is supposed to fit her because it is declared to fit "all." After all, how could one size fit all? We are made differently, and that is OK. No one else but you should get to choose what size fits you!!! Because after all, who's wearing it? YOU. I am saddened because so many people in this world struggle with body image, including myself, and we have magazines targeted to girls of an impressionable age, growing, and learning to dislike her body from the start. How am I supposed to tell my future child, or even myself, that I don't need to look a certain way even though society drills it into our heads from the day we learn to walk?

We must unite as a society, and teach young children to love their body for what it is. To love their body because it helps them do the things that make them happy. They must love their body because everybody is beautiful no matter what shape or size. Now don't get me wrong, anyone can say that. But until we start believing that deep down, nothing is going to change. So we must understand as human beings, disliking our body is unnatural. It is a waste of energy, because the reality of it all is that no matter what size we are on the outside, the person on the inside is what really shapes us. Your shape is defined by your strength and confidence, not by the size of your jeans.

So to wrap my rant up, I would like to personally address "Discovery Girls" Magazine. How dare you tell a young girl what swimsuit she "should" wear. How dare you try to impress upon a child how to feel about herself, how to think about the way she chooses clothing and ultimately, if she "fits" society's skewed perception of beauty.

And for the future: tell your children they are beautiful because they are intelligent, not because of the outfit they chose to wear that day. Tell your children they are strong because they made it through a rough day, not because of the size of the muscle layering their arm. Tell them these things because sadly, society will tell them differently. A few words can make a difference. Change your way of thinking, of understanding, and your way of loving who you are in your own skin, because if not now, when?