Body Image and Body Shaming; You are beautiful just the way you are.
Did you know that approximately 91% of women are unhappy with their bodies and resort to dieting to achieve their ideal body shape. Unfortunately, only 5% of women naturally possess the body type often portrayed by Americans in the media. (Palmer, Mario. "5 Facts About Body Image." Amplify. Accessed February 24, 2014, http://amplifyyourvoice.org/u/marioapalmer/2013/05/21/byob-be-your-own-beautiful.) Now, I'm not against dieting but if you are doing it for the wrong reason, then I have a problem with it. Did you also know that in a survey, more than 40% of women and about 20% of men agreed they would consider cosmetic surgery in the future. The statistics remain relatively constant across gender, age, marital status, and race. ( ASAPS: The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. "Survey Finds That Women Are More Likely To Consider Plastic Surgery Than They Were Ten Years Ago." Accessed February 24, 2014, http://www.surgery.org/media/news-releases/survey-finds-that-women-are-more-likely-to-consider-plastic-surgery-than-they-were-ten-years-ago.)
"Body image" is the way that someone perceives their body and assumes that others perceive them. This image is often affected by family, friends, social pressure and the media.
Have you ever been made fun of because you weren't the perfect size? Or because you were too fat or too skinny? Have you ever been laughed at because you have no butt or because your breasts were too saggy or too big? I have and I understand what it's like to be in that position, to be the one everyone makes fun of. The dictionary definition of body shaming is the action or practice of humiliating someone by making mocking or critical comments about their body shape or size. It affects both men and women of all races. Each and every time a person is body shamed it affects his or her emotions. Body shaming has been linked to low self-esteem issues. The world is cruel and heartless sometimes and you cannot live life being an emotional wreck everytime you are body shamed. Learn to live your life without accepting people's definition of you. You are more than enough. Carry your body with confidence everytime. Do not wait for anyone's approval to live your life.
Each time you remember those daunting words, shake it off and move on. Remember Taylor Swift's Shake it off? That song is my moral booster anytime. You owe no one the responsibility of being picture perfect. People who constantly shame you aren't your friends, they are your enemies, cut them out of your life. If you don't believe in yourself, no one will. The way you address yourself is the same way people will go about addressing you. Learn to love yourself fiercely and loyal. Do good things to yourself, be nice and gentle to you.
There is so much more to life than looking pretty and sexy, I can assure you. You were not created to just look pretty or sexy. There's so much more my love, character matters too. Focus on the things you love, your dreams, your goals, your mental health., they matter. Your inside matters more than your outside. The things that make you different physically also makes you beautiful.
Redefine beautiful. Tell yourself you are beautiful each day. Shut out all the voices that tell you that you are not beautiful because YOU ARE!
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You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life.
- Winston Churchill