Hey guys, it's been a minute. (Real quick- why do people use that statement when it's actually been quite a while?) Let me know.
Anyways, I've been thinking about this topic quite a lot recently, so let's jump in. It's time for some straight talk.
There comes a time in most girl’s lives’ when their bodies naturally start to change and develop.
This is okay.
There also comes an unfortunate time when girls start comparing their bodies to the ones on magazines or tv.
This is not okay.
According to a recent study, over 80% of 10 year old girls worry about gaining weight! I don’t know about you, but this breaks my heart. A child shouldn’t live with those body shaming thoughts in their head. They should be coloring or doing whatever the hell kids do.
But at the same time, can we really blame them?
Body shaming is everywhere these days! Unrealistic expectations are far too common. & you wouldn’t dare see a magazine with a women who hasn’t been Photoshop by three different editors. Instagram, Tik Tok, Tumblr, are only a tiny portion of the everyday fuckery that starts those initial thoughts of ‘I must look a certain way in order to be liked.’
So really, when you think about it, society has programed a metaphorical virus that blocks their rational thinking process and instead installs these faulty ideas that sadly can result in eating disorders and depression.
Society is the perfume ad on your dad’s TV that irrelevantly shows a half naked women swimming in a pool with glorious make up that she definitely didn’t wake up in. Society is the super catchy music you dance to on the radio, but don’t understand the absolutely insulting lyrics. It’s a group of teens in front of a mirror, Mean Girl style, nit picking that their skin is too tan, or their tummy isn’t flat, or their legs are too bulky.
It’s hiding the beautiful fact that - hey girl, that tan skin of yours? It’s your grandma’s heritage shining through you. That extra soft belly? It’s there to nourish you and digest whatever food you want to put in your damn mouth. And those bulky legs? They are the reason you dominate week after week at track practice.
This is where I challenge you. Your age or gender doesn’t matter for this part. I want you to look in the mirror. Really, take a good look at yourself. Right when a negative thought pops up, immediately replace it with a compliment by saying out loud. For example: *oh boy, my arms are so*- “I have strong thick arms and I am powerful.
Do this once a day and maybe, just maybe, we can be a small role in becoming the generation that ends body shaming.
If you or someone you know is struggling with depression, Text 'Hello' to 741741 to be connected to a trained crisis counselor.
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