Many different shapes and sizes face various body issues regardless if you're petite, athletic, tall, hourglass, etc. Body image seems so prevalent in society today, especially in the media when I read celebrity gossip magazines that bash on celebrities for their weight gain and other body issues. There always seems to be new ways to lose weight with weight loss plans like Weight Watchers and plastic surgery to get rid of fat and so forth. Sometimes I wonder if society is obsessed with beauty, especially when what is considered beautiful does not favor with every body type. Like any other woman, I have battled with my own body issues. People think with my petite shape that I wouldn't have my own body issues, but everyone has something wrong they like to point out about their own bodies.
Growing up, I was always smaller than most girls with being short and tiny. When I was in the fifth grade, girls started growing boobs and I was still waiting for mine to set in. By the time I got to junior high, most girls already had their boobs fully grown out while I barely had A cups. I would compare myself to other girls, thinking my boobs weren't full enough and that my body wasn't curvy like other girls with curves. When girls would wear shirts, they would actually fill it out while it would look flat on me. When I went to buy sports bras my freshman year of high school from Victoria's Secret, the cashier thought it was my first set of training bras and I was mortified. I remember reading, "Are you there, God? It's me, Margaret" by Judy Blume and trying to perform the exercise "I must, I must, I must increase my bust." The exercise clearly didn't work and my boobs didn't get any bigger than they originally were. I was rather disappointed, but doing an in and out movement with my arms and chanting the words wasn't going to change my cup size.
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Some people even made their own assumptions about me with my petite shape. In elementary school a boy called me anorexic, because he said it looked like I didn't eat anything. Some of my relatives would accuse me of eating like a bird, because I didn't have as big of an appetite as other girls. I would constantly be told that I need to gain weight, especially when I'm considered slightly underweight for my height. People would say I didn't need to workout when I wanted to workout for my own leisure. I began binge eating in hopes I would gain weight, even though I would eat to the point of discomfort. I thought if I ate enough food than I normally would, then I would gain weight in the right places I wanted like my boobs. It wasn't until I realized that I was making myself sick and putting my own health at risk that I started to eat the right portions for my body along with healthier choices of food.
I even felt women who were petite were bashed on in the media. One of Nicki Minaj's verse in her song "Anaconda" says "F**k them skinny bitches." In Meghan Trainor's song "All About That Bass," she sings "I'm bringing booty back/ Go 'head and tell them skinny bitches that." Though I do like these artists, hearing these lyrics made me feel like my body shape was being looked down on. I actually admire these women for promoting different body shapes and being an influence to give other women confidence, but I think all body shapes should be embraced. I feel like too often women can bring other body shapes down by praising other body types.
It wasn't until college that I finally started to accept my body type. I started to treat my body better by exercising a few times a week along with eating three meals a day. Before, there would be times I would skip meals and eat food at bizarre hours. I learned to love my body by gaining inner confidence in myself. I began to write quotes on my mirror to lift me up when I would get ready in the morning as I applied my makeup, styled my hair and put on my clothes. I honestly feel with age I grew to love my body. In high school, I would wear push up bras from Victoria's Secret to make my boobs look bigger like it was some sort of magic trick. In sixth grade, I would stuff my bra with tissue and I would be embarrassed when some of the tissue would peek out of my bra and people would see. When I got to college, I stopped caring so much about what other people thought of my body image and I thought to myself, "If someone can't accept me for who I am then don't accept me at all." No, I don't have a D cup, a big booty, or visible curves. I have the complete opposite and I wouldn't have it any other way. I can be proud to say I love my A cup boobs and no amount of plastic surgery could change that. I adore my petite shape that compliments my little butt. So when I look in the mirror, I smile at my reflection because I know I am beautiful.
So for all the women out there that struggle with their body image, please know that every flaw you point out is a perfection that was specially made for you. Just listen to "Reflection" by Fifth Harmony, because you're reflection is staring at you in the mirror and it just wants you to love you for you.
