As a young woman participating in American society, it's common for me to encounter unrealistic body ideals. Models - who typically have to have crazy petite bodies as is - are airbrushed and photoshopped to achieve an image of perfection. These images are everywhere; in magazines, on television, and on social media. Exposure to these images is virtually impossible to avoid in our society.

Luckily, our society has recently started to fight back. Plus-sized models are becoming more integrated into the fashion scene. Ashley Nell Tipton, winner of Project Runway season 14, was largely applauded for creating plus-sized clothing. She now has a plus-sized line available at JC Penney (Quinn 2016). Zendaya, and many other celebrities, have refused to let photoshopped images of themselves be displayed (Jacques 2015). The #bodypositivity movement on social media encourages people to embrace their body, no matter how big or how small. While there is still progress to be made, as Calvin Klein's "first plus-sized model" is a size 10 and doesn't consider herself to be plus-sized (Farag 2016), there is certainly a movement pushing back against unrealistic body ideals that will give young women and men in the upcoming generations more confidence.

However, despite these improvements in body image, there's another unhealthy phenomenon occurring; body trends. As it's been attractive to be a skinny woman since the rise of Twiggy in the 60's (Buzzfeed 2015), our society has long gotten past the point of skinny being trendy. It's become a lot more permanent in our society. What isn't so permanent is the idea that there needs to be a gap between your thighs, that your stomach needs to have an "ab crack", that your ass needs to be big, and apparently, that your boobs better be covered up.

What I'm referring to is a statement made in the December issue of British Vogue that says cleavage is out of style. Writer Kathleen Baird-Murray says, "The cleavage – those magnificent mounds pushed together to display sexual empowerment, to seduce, to inspire lust or even just to show off – is over, or at least, taking a well-earned break.

“The t*ts will not be out for the lads. Or for anyone else, for that matter.

“Rejecting the stereotypes of gender has been brought sharply into focus, with the days of women as eye-candy, their sexuality positively smouldering rather than subtly played out, officially over," (Independent 2016).

Yes, there are some things about this statement that aren't problematic. Women, it's true, aren't just eye candy. Women have brains and personalities, and women don't just display their breasts for men to look at. Women aren't on this earth just for male pleasure (believe it or not, Donald Trump). But what Vogue fails to acknowledge in this statement is that cleavage is often about body type, not fashion trends. Anyone with even remotely large breasts have cleavage if their top is even remotely low cut. I can barely fill a B cup bra and I, with my best push-up bra and a V-neck tee, have cleavage. While this is often not the case for me (because screw underwire bras), women with larger breasts almost always have cleavage, push-up bra or not, V-neck tee or not. Any cut lower than a women's collarbones easily have the potential for cleavage.

I'm sure Vogue's article had good intentions. Baird-Murray just wanted to make a point that women are done flaunting their tits for men, opting instead for higher necklines and shorter skirts. That being said, it was narrow-minded. First of all, who says that they were ever flaunting for men in the first place? Secondly, cleavage isn't always a choice. Lastly, body-shaming large boobs in the name of feminism is still body-shaming.

Ladies, wear whatever makes you feel good. Cover the cleavage or don't cover the cleavage. If you want to dress for men to perceive you as sexy, go ahead. If you want to dress for other women, or other people who don't want to be defined as man or woman, to perceive you as sexy, go ahead. If you want to dress so you perceive yourself as sexy, please do.

This isn't the only trend to reject certain body types. The infamous thigh-gap encourages people to have such small thighs that when they stand with their legs together, you can see in between them. I hope for the sake of young people everywhere that this trend is gone, because even some of the skinniest people I know don't have thigh gaps. Thigh gaps are a terrible ideology. Do not worry about your thighs touching together. It's fine. In fact, it's wonderful. I love your thighs.

Also, a newer trend has come into existence known as the "ab crack." This trend is admittedly a bit healthier than the others, since it encourages muscle tone in the abdomen area. Exercise is good for you, and if photos of models with their ab crack make you want to hit the gym, cool. But, just as is the problem with the skinniness we see in media, sometimes stomachs that toned are unattainable. Sometimes the ab muscles we see in magazines aren't even real. Sometimes young people are so bombarded with images of toned stomachs that they become obsessed with obtaining them, acquiring body dysmorphia disorder and eating disorders. Being healthy isn't harmful. What's harmful is telling the world that the only way to be beautiful is to have a deep ridge in the middle of your abdomen.

Another very popular trend, that no one seems to acknowledge the harm in, is the big booty. Before the days of Nicki Minaj, Kim Kardashian, and Kylie Jenner, big booties were not desirable, hence the phrase "does this make my butt look big?" I myself have benefited from this trend; if I would've been born ten years earlier, I probably would've been thought of as fat in these teenage and young adult years, despite my healthy waist size. Many other women with curves are now perceived as sexy, where they may not have been in the past. Yet suddenly, girls with a little bit less junk in the trunk have become less desirable. This trend is establishing another unattainable body ideal, because the big booty is only attractive if the waist is small, too, and this is no easy feat for many women to accomplish, nor should they feel the need to accomplish it if they are already healthy people.

Men aren't free from the clutches of body trends, either. In the past, skinny has been the trend for men; the more they looked like a rockstar, the better. Now, it's expected that men be muscular. Toned abs, big arms and legs, and a large chest display masculinity that society says is attractive. But it isn't for all men to build up muscle like that. Additionally, while this isn't really a trend, people often forget that men can have body image issues, too, and this can cause insensitive things to be said. Don't forget that we are all humans functioning under the same body ideologies.

Body image can be a sensitive subject. We're all told that there are particular ways you're supposed to look, that you can't be beautiful unless you look that way. Society says you should be skinny, with a gap between your thighs, a ridge down the middle of your stomach. But you should also have a big butt, and it would be cool if your boobs were big too, but cover them up because that's the good feminist thing to do. Or if you're a man, you better be the image of masculinity, or no one will ever want you. You need to have a mass amount of muscle and a deep voice and be a little bit of an asshole.

None of these things are actually important, though. Not at all. Your body is just a vessel that your soul is occupying. In a different body, you would be the same person, even if all of your insecurities fell away in that different body. If your body fits into any of these trends, that's great. That's your body. If your body doesn't, don't worry about it. Or if you're gong to worry about it, make sure you're changing yourself for you, not for anyone else.

There are more important things in life than how you look.

Citations

Farag, Maryse. “Here’s Why Calvin Klein’s ‘First plus-Sized Model’ Is Still Making Everyone Angry.” The Sun. N.p., 25 June 2016. Web. 5 Nov. 2016.

Jacques, Renee. “Zendaya Refuses to Be Photoshopped—and It’s So Inspiring.” Allure. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2016.

Maclean, Dave. “Vogue Says Cleavage Is ‘over’: ‘The T*ts Will Not Be out for the Lads’ | The Independent.” N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2016.

Quinn, Dave. “Tess Holliday Helps Ashley Nell Tipton Launch New JCPenney Collection.” PEOPLE.com. N.p., 7 Sept. 2016. Web. 5 Nov. 2016.

“Women’s Ideal Body Types Throughout History.” BuzzFeed. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2016.