"I love my body!"
"my hair is perfect!"
"my skin is flawless!"
"I look good in everything"
"I have no complaints about my physical appearance whatsoever!"
Unless you are Margot Robbie, Cara Delevigne, or a Kardashian, odds are you've never said these things and meant them. Establishing a healthy body image is a menacing task that people of every race, gender, age, and demographic struggle with.
As someone who has struggled with body image, AKA a human being, I know that many things can taint your view of your own body. While you may feel you'll never be content with your physical appearance, you have to remember one thing; You are not perfect and that is perfectly fine. Not one person in the world is "perfect," and no one has the right to make you feel that you need to be. Here are a few things you need to remember while attempting to establish a healthy body image.
Stop comparing yourself to others.
When you compare yourself to others, you're only hurting yourself. When you do this, especially when you compare yourself to celebrities, you set a standard for yourself that can only be achieved by hours of strenuous exercise, a full-time hair and makeup team, and a professional Photoshop expert. It is not real. Therefore, those celebrities are not "perfect" and you have no reason to even attempt to be like them. Also, can we please stop using the word "perfect" do describe people? There is no such thing as a perfect person. Period. No two people are alike and, in the same way, no person is better than another.
Treat yourself.
I will never discourage anyone from trying to be healthy. If you exercise daily and eat "clean" at every meal, good for you, you have will power that I may never know. My point is that if you aren't the poster child of fitness, so what? I go to yoga and/or the gym about four days a week, but I also eat pizza and ice cream when I want to. If having a treat every once in a while will make you happy, why not? There is no use in punishing yourself for something that brought you joy. I promise, that second slice of pizza won't ruin your diet. If anything maybe it'll motivate you to work harder tomorrow. Make. Yourself. Happy.
Appreciate what you have.
Odds are there are dozens of things about your body that someone else wishes they had every day. Frizzy, curly hair? Someone with straight hair envies you. Think you're too short? A tall person wishes they could be in your shoes. Dark skin? People spend hundreds of dollars on fake tans every year. Wide hips? A slim person is doing squats right now wishing they had them too. Try to take a step back next time you criticize yourself and really consider how lucky you are without realizing it.
Your body is your home.
And you can't move out. When decorating a house with a few minor flaws, why cover them up? Embellish your quirks and they will become beautiful additions to your permanent home. Whether you have freckles, scars, stretch marks, or any other permanent mark on your body, it is yours. By accepting every part of who you are, you will begin to radiate confidence and self-acceptance rather than hiding your natural beauty from the world. Personally, I have all three of those things and you will never catch me hiding them. They're the equivalent of a chipped paint job, a crooked picture frame, or dented gutters. They all work as long as you let them. Make your body a house you'd want to live in.
Embrace your flaws.
Having a healthy body image does not at all mean loving everything about yourself all the time, it means acknowledging your flaws and embracing them wholly. Whether you're unsatisfied with your hair, weight, height, or any other physical feature, this thing that you claim to hate so much makes you, you. No matter hard you try to cover these things up or hide them from yourself and others, they are yours and you probably don't realize it but someone loves that part of you. If you embrace your flaws, they won't be flaws anymore.
Make the best of what you have and where you are.
In high school, it is hard to find a comfortable ground with your body, but college is a time to discover what you are comfortable with and ways to make you happy with yourself. In a new environment, you can create an image of yourself that you are happy with and become a confident, secure person. I am aware that I am nowhere near what people would call "perfect" and that is okay because I am myself and that is perfectly fine. I will never be completely confident in myself and I will probably always want to change things about my body, but as long as I stay true to who I am and don't make any unhealthy changes, that is perfectly fine.
Healthy body image is not perfection and confidence is not cockiness.
Strive for happiness and healthiness and you will be "perfectly" fine.
*Drops the mic*
