Let's Talk About Body Image
At some point, we've probably all gone through our own personal struggles with body image. It's an important topic to discuss and raise awareness for, but it's also something that needs approaching with care and respect. Doing it online is even more difficult but today I wanted to open up an honest and frank discussion and share some of my own thoughts on the topic.
SHAMING
The phrases skinny shaming and fat shaming are words I hear on a daily basis. Neither of these terms is ok, often when people celebrate one body type it's by bringing down another one. No body type is better than the other, we all matter regardless of what the scales say or what fictional number is stitched into our clothes. I'm all for different body types being celebrated because it's about time that happened. But, not when it's at the cost of another one as that is just adding fuel to another fire that doesn't need to be lit. We're all put under scrutiny every day so why wouldn't we especially as women want to try and bring each other up as much as we possibly can? It's really easy to sit behind a screen and judge people based on their size and we've probably all done it at some point and forgotten what is actually important.
PERSONAL GOALS
We've all got our different ideals when it comes to what we want our body shape to look like. Of course, it's not ok to go the extremes as that's simply dangerous for your health and that is a different conversation entirely. It's often presumed that if you're around a size 10 or under that you don't need to exercise or eat right because why would you need to when you're deemed the 'right' size by society. Exercise and diet aren't just about your figure, it's something that I cannot stress enough. Physical activity has so many physical and mental health benefits that I could spend hours talking about why it's important to be part of anyone's routine. A balanced diet can do your inner being so much good, junk food might feel wonderful for a short time, but, in the long run, you start to feel terrible. I've always believed that everything in moderation is an a-ok way to live. I don't believe anyone should be deterred from trying to eat a little better and working exercise into their routine just because they already are at a size that the media thinks is ok. The way you feel yourself in your own skin is so much more important.
OTHER PEOPLE & THE MEDIA
One of the biggest problems I've ever encountered when it comes to my personal struggles with body image is others. People can be downright cruel, whether you're a size 6 or a size 26, they will always have an opinion about you. The only person who you need to please is yourself when it comes to your body image, the day that you can say hey I think I look incredible right now is awesome and empowering to anybody. Once you start to accept your own body and feel truly happy that is when the things that others think and say matter less and less. As a smaller girl, I've always dealt with people telling me I need to eat more and that I need more meat on my bones. People seem to believe that this isn't offensive, it is. It's just as bad as telling somebody to stop eating and have some self-control. Interfering in other people's body size, no matter what it is isn't something that is ever acceptable. The only person that size affects is them, not anybody else and worrying too much over how people look is a concerning habit to get into. Unless someone's personal choice affects you then none of us have the right to judge or make comments.
& A PERSONAL NOTE FROM ME
Body image is something that is super important to me. As a petite size 4/6, I'm more than aware that my body type is viewed as 'ideal', but that doesn't mean it is for everyone. Naturally, our bodies are incredibly different and that's a good thing otherwise we would all look the same. In an ideal world, it would be amazing if all body types from the very slim and petite to the larger ladies in the world could be accepted and feel incredible in their skin. If all clothes shop could cater to all sizes that would also be great, contrary to popular belief not that many of us can just pop to Topshop and find something that properly fits, big or small. And ultimately we as bloggers and content creators who have a crazy amount of influence right now in the world could make so much of a difference in spreading a positive message about celebrating every body type out there instead of just looking at one side of the spectrum. No-one should feel bad about their size, no matter what it is.
What are your thoughts on this topic?
R x
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