By Morgan Kilgo | Staff Writer
As the digital age continues to rise, it is no surprise that the issue of body shaming has risen as well. From magazine spreads of the newest big celebrity to social media posts of fitness models, we are constantly being reminded of what society thinks is the “perfect body.” Women are expected to be shorter than boys, with symmetrical curves, long legs, and a little hourglass waist. Men are expected to be taller than women and covered in perfectly toned layers of muscle. While these body standards may be attainable for some, they are impossible for the majority of the population. Instead of being taught to embrace and love the body we are in, we learn how to immediately identify our flaws and work to “fix” them, as though our appearance needs to be altered to be acceptable. We have created a society where people skip meals and spend too many hours working out for the “perfect body.”
Body shaming affects everyone. I have yet to encounter someone who doesn’t compare their body to another in a negative manner. I would be willing to bet money that if I walked up to 10 people, at least nine of them would have an ongoing list of things they think are wrong with their body, and the tenth person would be too ashamed to share. It’s terrifying to think that there are people constantly standing in front of the mirror wondering why they don’t look how they are “supposed to”.
In the words of Bruno Mars “you’re amazing just the way you are.” What if for every time we found a perfect quality on someone else, we stopped and found a perfect quality on ourselves as well? What if instead of picking our bodies apart, we learned to celebrate and love the body we were blessed with? It’s time for us to put body shaming to an end and learn we have been beautiful from day one. There’s nothing to fix because there is nothing that is wrong. Stop comparing yourself to other people and love your differences. Your body is beautiful, embrace it!
