Skinny. S-K-I-N-N-Y. A six letter word that holds so much importance in our society today. Not a day goes by that I don't hear one of my peers say a negative comment about their body, or say that they wish they were "skinny". I ask myself...why? Why does a six letter, two syllable word have so much impact on people today? For as long as I can remember, the message of being skinny has been the equivalent of being beautiful for women and men all around the world.

Isn't it funny how skewed the correlation is between how healthy we are and the amount of fat we have on our bodies? Everybody is built differently. Some people are born with a naturally slender body. Some people are born with a naturally fuller body. Neither of these bodies are "wrong" or "bad" bodies. In fact, that's what makes the world so great - our differences. If we were all the same and all looked the same - how boring would that be? Everyone has something about themselves that makes them unique and special. Striving for a body that is just not natural for you is only going to make you unhappy.

I have heard people say many times, "if only I was skinny, then I would be happy!" "that's such a cute outfit, if I was skinny I could totally rock that!" "ugh I wish I was skinny, then I could eat whatever I want". I am guilty of this too.

Being skinny is A.) Not a cure for sadness or B.) A guarantee of happiness.

Happiness does not require "thinness" and "fatness" does not presume sadness. We need more voices speaking out so that we can be heard over the media, over the drone that is diet pills, get-thin-quick cures, and plastic surgery to fix things that aren't broken.

Body image is closely linked to self-esteem. Low self-esteem in adolescents can lead to eating disorders, early sexual activity, substance use and suicidal thoughts.

58% of college-aged girls feel pressured to be a certain weight.

95% of people with eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 25.

We live in a society that tells us we need to be beautiful to be successful and loved. It's no wonder most people aren't comfortable with the way they look and even hate themselves.

SMART, FUNNY, CREATIVE, COMPASSIONATE, DETERMINED, DRIVEN, CONFIDENT.

These are the type of words we should be striving to be more of. These are the type of words we should be using to describe our role models, our peers, OURSELVES. Beauty is only skin deep.

So the next time you look in the mirror and begin to criticize what you see staring back at you, STOP. Take a breath, what do you have to be thankful for? Your eyes so you can see the beauty of nature? How about your ears that allow you to listen to your favorite music? Those legs that you hate and constantly criticize, do they allow you to run, dance, drive so you can go see your friends? Be thankful. Life is too short to spend it being constantly miserable because of the way you look or think you look. Don't let life pass you by because you are too busy beating yourself up over things you can't change. Be yourself, there is only one you. You are enough.