Today we are fighting a two-sided war on the “body image” front. Men and women alike are bombarded with images of “ideal” bodies on one end, and on the other are told that it’s not okay to be at peace with yourself. We are effectively boxed into a corner, a vicious cycle if you will that has us striving to be perfect, bashing ourselves along the way. Images of over-sexualized women (and yes, men too) run rampant, and every time you turn a corner there is another ad telling us to dye our hair, go on a diet, shave our body hair, gain some weight…the list goes on. But what is perfection? We spend a good deal of our lives trying to fit these standards, and for what? To continue to find flaws? There will always be something to fix if we stay caught up in the cycle. There will always be another perceived flaw. The cliched phrase “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” comes to mind. Just as each person is unique, we also have unique tastes. Those tastes just happen to be conditioned by the images we see in daily life, creating a mainstream definition of beauty. Even so, we can all agree that different people find certain traits more or less pleasing than others, correct? So why is there so much pressure to fit into one standard? Why, when deep down we all know that beauty is not something that can be defined by one group—be it ad agencies, the film industry or otherwise?
Beauty standards are not stagnant. They have not been the same throughout our country’s history, and they are not the same across the world. So why are we so beholden to this narrow view of beauty? Body positive movements have been gaining traction recently, and I urge you to be a part of the revolution. It is time for people to realize that we can change the images we see, and we can change the way we as human beings are represented. In the end, it is not your body that determines your beauty, it is your character. Who you are is infinitely more important than what you look like, and oftentimes when you realize that, you do feel beautiful/handsome/radiant.
This isn’t to say that physical modification is bad, it is another choice we all make—but we must examine our motives; is the modification based in love or hatred of yourself? Is it because you want to, and you prefer it, or because you feel you must in order to be more “acceptable?”
We are constantly pressured, as a society, to focus on our outward appearance, and yet the media places little emphasis on being kind or loving the people around us in whatever way they appear. But how would the world look if we all loved just a little bit more? If we realized that physical appearance does not equate strong character or competency? Instead of trying to fit into a mold, why don’t we strive to be ourselves and accept others for who they are? No one should feel ashamed for their existence or they way they look while they are busy existing on this planet. You are allowed to love yourself. You are allowed to love others.
“The recipe for beauty is to have less illusion and more Soul.” —Mary Baker Eddy
