In this world social media presents us with models with very small frames, muscular frames, or whatever else is deemed fashionable – and we’re told this is the ‘perfect’ body. This leads to many young girls and boys becoming insecure about the way they look, potentially leading them to starve themselves, or becoming depressed about the way their body is.
The reality of it is that there is no ‘perfect’ body, in fact in some ways every type of body is their type of perfect. Your body is your body and that’s all there is to it. If you need to lose some weight for a health reason, then sure go ahead exercising and eating healthily: there is nothing wrong with doing that. But we also need to learn to accept that everyone is different. The photos we see in the media are photo-shopped and don’t represent what real life bodies are.
I’ve always been on the skinnier side of things which means that according to the eyes of others I have always fit into the more socially acceptable end of the spectrum, and very rarely have trouble finding clothes I like. I will openly admit that I haven’t really been a victim of body negativity. However, despite this, the media still manages to tell people that even if they’re slim, they should work out and become more muscular: there seems to be nothing that tells anyone to be happy with how they look. I certainly have been one to worry about needing to go to the gym because of thinking I look too skinny and that because my body isn’t perfectly toned then I need to do something to change that. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with going to the gym and I do really enjoy working out, but it’s only really recently that I’ve wanted to go because of enjoyment, rather than feeling the need to tone up my body. To be honest, when I go purely to see results, I’m usually less motivated because my expectations become too high and I give up quicker.
The fact that anyone of any shape and size is made to feel as though their body isn’t good enough is terrible and we should be promoting self-acceptance and positivity. Especially with summer coming up and the need to obtain a ‘bikini body’ coming into play, we really need to stress how having a bikini body is as simple as this:
- You have a body
- You have a bikini
- You wear your bikini on your body
- TA DA! You now have a bikini body
Whoever you are and whichever size or shape you are, you should be made to feel comfortable in your body, and not body shamed for wearing particular pieces of clothing.
Natasha Zack
(Image courtesy of: http://fashionmagazine.com/fashion/swimsuit-brands-body-positivity/)