Today, my sorority had a workshop about body positivity. Many of you might be wondering how that has anything to do with elementary school aged girls, right? Why would they be worrying about their physical appearance? When I was that age, I was worrying about what color crayon I was going to use or what we were going to do at recess that afternoon, not about how thin my waist was. Confidence in our physical appearances was never even really thought of, let alone talked about. Unfortunately, in today’s elementary schools, more and more young girls are worrying about their physical appearances.
I don’t know about anyone else, but this really alarms me. A ridiculously high amount of girls in first through third grade are beginning to worry about their physical appearance, especially their weight. These girls are six to eight years old. Not even double digits yet. How has our society become so materialistic and shallow that even the most innocent and naïve members of our communities are feeling pressured into looking a certain way? If I could say anything to these young girls growing up in this world, I would say the following:
There are going to be many times in your life when you feel the urge to compare yourself to everyone around you- and I mean everyone. That includes your friends, your family, your favorite celebrities, anyone. "Should I die my hair to look like her?" "Why aren't I that skinny?" I am going to insist that you try your hardest to not do this. Is there going to be someone “prettier” than you? Is there going to be someone with the “perfect” body? Probably. But are they you? Absolutely not.
There are going to be times when you don’t feel good enough. There are going to be times when you think that if you can just lose 5 pounds, you’ll be able to wear what that model is wearing in your favorite magazine. That if you can look like her, you would be “perfect”. Well here’s my question for you: why would you want to have the same look as everyone else around you?
There are going to be times when you might feel the need to look a certain way to impress a certain someone. You might start to think that if you dress a certain way, that cute boy in your class might notice you. That maybe if you showed a little more skin and worked out a little more, he'll ask you on a date. I’m here to tell you, sweet girl, that it’s not worth it.
When you start to grow up, I want you to know that you are worth so much. You are intelligent. You are kind. You are compassionate. You are hard-working. You are talented. You are determined. These are the traits that will make you stand out from the crowd. These are the traits that your “prince charming” is going to notice. And if this boy doesn't notice any of these? Well, I can guarantee you he's not the one, no matter how strongly you feel otherwise. And finally, these are the traits that make you into the person God meant for you to be. And trust this piece of advice: God is always right.
Sweet girl, don’t ever look in the mirror and degrade yourself. Don’t pick out your “flaws”. You’re going to learn one day that there is no real definition of perfect. You have to make your own definition of it. Now ask yourself: what is my definition of perfect going to be?
One day, I hope this all makes sense to you. I hope you learn to complement others without degrading yourself. I hope you reach for all your dreams and finish everything on your bucket list. Don’t ever waste your time trying to fit into society’s definition of perfect. Think of yourself as a piece to a puzzle. No two pieces ever really look the same, so why should you be the same as someone else? Your physical appearance is not going to be what you remember most when you're 80 years old. You have your own purpose in this world just like a piece to a puzzle, now go out and find it!
