Body positivity is, and has always, been an important movement. Lately, it seems like it’s finally gaining more traction in pop culture, which is utterly fantastic. Everyone has gone through some period in their lives where they weren’t happy with how their bodies looked, some cases much more serious than others. We’ve all heard the saying “your body is a temple,” meaning that you should take care of it, love it, respect it etc. While this is good and all, I’ve heard another quote that takes almost an opposite approach that I find to be much more truthful.

"Listen to me, your body is not a temple. Temples can be destroyed and desecrated. Your body is a forest—thick canopies of maple trees and sweet scented wildflowers sprouting in the underwood. You will grow back, over and over, no matter how badly you are devastated."

— Beau Taplin

This is something that everyone should keep in the back of their minds. Your body will never become what you hope it could be. Everyone’s bodies are different, everyone’s bodies are beautiful, and everyone’s bodies will be envious of a body that isn’t their own. And that’s okay.

It’s a hard thing to love your body when for decades upon decades the ideal body type seemed to constantly be changing, yet simultaneously revolving around one or two specific body types for both men and women. It sucks, but that’s the reality. The awesome thing, however, is now we are finally starting to break from what a singular ideal body type is to all body types being ideal. You have a body? Ideal. I’ve begun to see more ads for clothing that are more than just one body type/shape. The variety that has started to pop up is spectacular, and the lack of questioning it is even better.

The one downside to such an impactful movement is that it seems to mostly be aimed towards women. Don’t get me wrong, being one myself, I am all for it, but women are not the only ones who struggle with loving their bodies. I remember back in spring there was an April Fool’s Day  joke presented by Aerie that claimed to be launching a line of underwear for men. It was a video that portrayed men of different races and body types showing off the underwear. Alas, it turned out this was not a real advertisement, but it was meant to spread body positivity awareness among men. It would be wonderful if it had been a reality, and even more so, if more companies took this notion to heart and followed Aerie’s example, only for real.

I genuinely applaud those individuals that have so much love for their bodies no matter what, because it’s not an easy feat. I myself have gotten better at loving and accepting my body for what it is and finding ways to better it. But for those who aren’t there yet, it’s alright. There are days where you think your body looks utterly fantastic and that you can do anything because of it. And then there are the days where you feel disgusted and honestly hate how you look. The important thing to remember is that this is the body you were given, so take care of it. It’s the only one you have, so why waste it? there are ways to change it, safe ways, healthy ways.

Something I find really cool is how the more prominent the body positivity movement becomes, the more you start to see your favorite celebrities open up about their own insecurities and flaws, definitely making them more human. Think about your favorite celebrity, what you find amazing about them, they could very well be totally self-conscious about. Another cool thing is finding all these different blogs, Youtube videos, and Instagram accounts that are very pro body positivity. One of my favorite IG accounts is one called thenakediaries. This is an account where individuals can submit a photo and a personal story with it. It truly is something inspiring and fascinating to learn about other people’s body struggles.

Your body is yours to do with as you please, that goes without saying. And if you are still struggling with loving what you’ve got, don’t just let that feeling sit inside you and stew. Talk to someone about it, do something that makes you feel confident. Don’t ever let anyone’s opinion of your body steer you in the wrong direction. There’s no denying that you may feel hurt by the opinion, but the only one that matters is yours. So make sure it’s a good one.

Love yourself as much as you can, you’ll be happy you did.