This is a heavy topic. One that can easily rub us off a certain way but definitely one that deserves to be spoken about. What does body image mean to you? Well for us it is the confidence that I am happy regardless of my body size or insecurities and that they in no way hinder me from achieving my desires.
Bodies have often been worshipped and looked upon as either a sexual object, a muse, an escape and for some just another part of life. But with the rise of social media and objectification these rules have changed. Now size matters, shape is key if you want to be seen a certain way, heck color has become a major topic on mainstream media. Girls constantly battle with wanting skinnier bodies, bigger areola and butts and lighter skin color. Men battle with built frames, the coveted six-pack and lighter skin tones too. It is a menace!
We have programmed ourselves that bodies have a standard which is an American slim, model-like look or 6” tall guys with built muscles that we have reduced body image to a number on the scale or the number of likes on Instagram. A quick scroll on social media and you are constantly bombarded with brand that push the slim girl’s agenda and the light skin agenda yet claim to be all inclusive.
Advertisers are using models that in no way look like the average human and use that to lure customers into their stores because, I mean, who doesn’t want to look like a Kardashian. But do we really look like the Jenners? No, but do we look amazing in our own way? Hell Yeah! Because nothing should ever define how we see ourselves.
Now don’t get me wrong. We are allowed to improve ourselves if we genuinely feel it is necessary. You can hit the gym, pick up an acai bowl instead of KFC or use filters on your pictures. Hey, live life. But let us not conform to distorted ideologies of body images that honestly aren’t sustainable. Surgery is expensive and risky and definitely rarely worth it. A body is a body. If it does the primary function that it should do, then it is an asset. So how about you look in the mirror and notice the beauty that you are. Normalize your own version of body image. To hell with pop culture standards.