As spring draws to a close and summer comes upon us, discussions and opinions about body image become more frequent. Long gone are the loose-fitting sweaters and layered clothing as closets are restocked with tanks tops, flip flops and swimwear. With this closet change comes a set of fear for both men and women — a fear that their bodies aren’t "perfect" enough to wear the often minimalist summer clothing that is bearable to wear in outstanding heat.
As a response to this fear, I often see two polarizing views. The first view is an unhealthy preoccupation with losing weight in order to get that “bikini body” by June. Such persons will self-deprecate themselves and their bodies frequently, whether verbally or internally, to the point of diet change, whether it’s a healthier paleo diet or unhealthy habits such as anorexia, binge eating or bulimia. Even though healthy diets and lifestyles can come out of this, such a change is primarily for the sake of having a "perfect" body and appearance.
The second view is different at face value. This camp tends to say “Hey guy/girl, don’t let the haters bring you down because your body is a beautiful thing that needs to be celebrated. Every body is a summer body, so wear whatever makes you feel beautiful! Everyone is shaped differently, just like each snowflake has its own pattern. Just love your body, every curve and every flaw, and don’t change because someone or society pressures you to do so.” These people often encourage each other to wear whatever clothing they desire and to "eff beauty standards." These people frequently, sometimes even obsessively, post selfies of themselves on social media to prove that they are, in fact, confident of their body. While I do think that there is some good in this camp, I think that the inherent problem is that it still creates an obsession with the body and image.
As we go into swimsuit season, I often wonder why it’s only these two views that seem to circulate. As someone who has struggled with her weight for most of her life, I find myself equally unconvinced of living a healthy lifestyle just to look pretty or accepting my body type because I am beautiful. How I see it is that doing those things for the sake of looks and feelings seems very self-centered and superficial. Shouldn’t we decide to eat healthier so we can live a long, full life with our loved ones? Shouldn’t we accept that our bodies are different and equally beautiful so then we can focus on things of greater importance, such as helping the poor and bettering our minds, for the sake of making the world a better place? Isn’t it more self-fulfilling as well to look beyond outward appearance?
Granted, this time of year can especially bring out our insecurities whether we like it or not. Yet, I think that I have been the most empowered, the most confident and the most beautiful when I am placing my focus on causes that have benefits that are deeper than just "feeling pretty." I believe we should recognize the beauty of our bodies since they were created by God, but if that becomes the entirety of our focus, we will end up more damaged in the long run. It will quickly become a fixation of ours that will place our value in our looks alone instead of the wholeness of ourselves: our mind, our morals, how we treat one another and our passions. Yes, it’s OK to feel pretty, but when a lot of our focus is on whether or not our body is perfect or beautiful enough, it very quickly becomes our obsession that isolates us from the things that truly matter in this world.
My friends, let us recognize the goodness of our bodies and seek to preserve them, but let us more importantly be focused on things that are deeply gratifying and benefit the greater good.
