I remember overhearing a disagreement one day at school when I was a kid. It was two girls in my class who were arguing about who was skinnier and who had bigger breasts between the two of them.
We were in the fifth grade.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but shouldn’t two 10-year-old girls be worried about things other than their body proportions?
And furthermore, if this was happening in 2005, how much worse is it today? ese two girls, who are now grown women, were objectifying themselves.
Children and adults do not objectify themselves and others naturally. It’s a learned behavior.
From a very young age, we all learn how society says we should look.
We also learn that if our own appearance isn’t up to par, then we are seen as less valuable.
This is why people spend copious amounts of money on plastic and weight loss surgeries. is is why some women and children starve themselves.
This is why we need more body positivity in society and more representation for all people and all body types.
Before anyone gets upset, I am not skinny-shaming anyone. I’m not saying curvy is better either because everyone is different. I’m also not promoting an unhealthy lifestyle.
I’m focusing on one prevalent problem in our society.
When was the last time you saw a plus-sized model in an advertisement for anything other than a plus-sized clothing store?
When was the last time you saw a plus-sized male model in general?
In popular movies like romantic comedies, the main characters, and their love interests, are almost always a straight, skinny white couple.
Seriously, go to Google, type in “romantic comedies” and see what pops up. Not a lot of diversity.
ere is an abysmal amount of underrepresentation and misrepresentation of people of color, the LGBTQ community and plus- sized people in entertainment and advertising.
Sure, bigger women get represented sometimes. As the best friend or comic relief.
When plus-sized people get more representation in media, normal bodies will actually be considered normal again.
Fat rolls, stretch marks, big hips, love handles and thighs that touch are all things that people have. at’s reality.
But little girls don’t see that.
They see airbrushed exaggerations of beauty. Even in everyday conversations, we hear our friends and family say things like, “I’ve already eaten today, I don’t need anything else” or “I’m so fat” or “I want pizza, but I’m on a diet.”
Forget diets. Forget calorie counting! Forget caring about how much you weigh.
Eat the pizza and be happy. Learn to love everything about yourself. It’s hard, but I promise it’s worth it.
Let’s set an example for the younger generations that how your body looks does not and should not matter.
