We're all guilty of standing in front of the mirror and picking apart every little flaw on our bodies. I do it daily, if not sometimes multiple times a day, but this is a habit that I, and every other girl (and guy), need to kick indefinitely. Picking apart our flaws will not change anything, it will only make us unhappy with ourselves, which can lead to unhealthy habits, making us even more miserable.
If it's not bad enough that we do this to ourselves in private, the explosion of social media has subjected us to even more body shaming of both ourselves and others. I feel like every time I go online, there is some trending article about a celebrity who fluctuated in weight, or some new ideal body trend like the "thigh brow" (whatever that is.) Aside from celebrities, people can be pretty mean online in general. It's the sad reality of today that no matter who you are, if you have an online presence, you are subject to bullying from those who hide behind their keyboards. This usually stems from unhappiness with themselves, which they project onto others in hopes of feeling better about themselves. That never works. You need to start with accepting and loving yourself the way you are. If you can love yourself, you can love others, and the world needs some love.
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Body shaming goes both ways, there's "fat shaming" and "skinny shaming." If someone is too skinny, people make comments about how they should eat more, or how lucky they are to be so skinny, and if someone is a little larger than others, people make comments about how they can diet or ways to look slimmer. Body shaming also happens to both men and women; ever hear of the "dad bod?" You probably have, because apparently, that's a thing now. Men face unfair body ideals as well as women. Ideally, men will have a six pack, nice biceps, and a "baseball butt." Seriously, should we start manufacturing men and women so we have an endless supply of the "perfect body?"
As a society, we are focusing on the wrong things. It shouldn't matter if someone gained a couple pounds, if they have a thigh gap or not, or if they are a size zero or a size twelve. We shouldn't be labeling human bodies according to size, because we are so much more than a number. Why would we all want to look the same anyways? There is beauty in being different. It adds variety to the world, which is what we need. We need different standards of beauty, because there is not just one. Beauty comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors.
If I have a daughter, I don't want her growing up to feel like she isn't beautiful if she doesn't look a certain way. It was hard enough for me growing up; I won't let it happen to my future daughter.
The next time you look in the mirror, I encourage you to pick something positive about yourself and focus on that. Now do the same for others too.
