We live in a world where 90 percent of women are unhappy with their bodies because the vast majority have been taught that their first priority is caring about how they look. Their second and third priorities are fine, as long as they look good while accomplishing them. Anything else they do will be deemed less important if their bodies do not meet the societal norms that have created a culture where healthy habits and being attractive can rarely coexist.
The media is littered with unrealistic standards that women are supposed to fit into in order to be able to be deemed worthy, equal or valuable.
I am tired of your waistline determining whether or not you are beautiful.
You are beautiful, and the things that make you beautiful have absolutely nothing to do with your looks. Stop trying to fit into the social norm like you try and squeeze into the jeans that are two sizes to small -- not because they fit well, but because the store attendant told you that “that was the size most girls your age wore.”
How about you do everything you can to not be like most girls? Be like the girl you are, whatever size she was made. Do not let somebody else’s version of beauty make you change your own.
You are beautiful because of all of the thoughts you have, and all of the dreams you have, and all of the incredible things you are going to accomplish. Your body is not who you are, but rather the vessel that carries all of the things that make you who you are. The time has come for us to reclaim our bodies.
Your body is your home, and the mirror should not be a place where you wage war against your reflection. You are not more valuable at a size 4 than at a size 14. The size of your body has nothing to do with your value.
I am tired of asking you about the things you are unhappy about with your body, and having to stop you because the list is too long, but when I ask you what you love about yourself, I am constantly greeted with silence. I am tired of unrealistic social standards making you feel like you cannot find yourself magnificent unless your exterior appearances meet the standards that the covers of Vogue create.
You are so much more than boys who find you attractive.
I do not want the headlines to read “One in four women will develop an eating disorder in her lifetime.” I instead want to hear about the thousands of incredible accomplishments women are making all over the world, because the most beautiful part of any woman is her brain.
