Nancy, a young teenager, hated looking at herself in the mirror.
A new zit every week, her chubby thighs and stomach, and that horrid scar on her leg
— no wonder she was the only girl in class who was yet to have a boyfriend.
She often looked over at Sarah, her older sister, as they got ready for school.
“If only I had Sarah’s thin legs, flat stomach, and clear skin..” she thought every day.
And it didn’t help that Sarah would constantly be munching on a bag of chips
and still looked like a supermodel.
Nancy also hated going to school and didn’t have any best friends.
“Why should I be friends with this superficial bunch who can’t see beyond looks?” she often thought.
Sarah often encouraged her younger sister to make more friends by becoming more approachable.
But Nancy only got angry and pushed her sister away like everybody else.
She would regret it at first and would consider telling Sarah about her problems.
But once she looked in the mirror, she would realize, “Sarah will never understand... Her life is so easy.”
Perhaps, you’ve been in Nancy’s shoes.
Or even in Sarah’s.
Maybe you know a friend or even a brother
who suffers from negative body image issues like Nancy, and want to help.
If so, watch this video to know how a positive body image can mend relationships
— whether with yourself or others.
Why Body Positivity Matters?
1. It Challenges Unrealistic Beauty Standards
Kids today, like Nancy, are undoubtedly overexposed to society’s standards of beauty
— thanks to smartphones.
It’s almost impossible to scroll through Instagram without coming across an hourglass-figured Kardashian
with perfect eyebrows or a perfectly chiseled and successful male celebrity who seems to have it all.
But smartphones are not all to blame.
Unrealistic beauty standards can come from anywhere
— whether it is the Barbie you played with as a child
or the environment and even the decade you grew up in!
Think about it — Japanese women sporting blackened teeth and men who wore tights
were once considered to be the pinnacle of fashion, and so were unibrows.
Worried about your receding hairline?
You would’ve been the belle of the ball during the Renaissance period!
We are often so consumed by what society and popular culture set as the “ideal,”
we never stop to question them.
Not even two snowflakes can be exact copies of each other,
so why do we expect it from humans?
The body positivity movement addresses these unrealistic beauty standards
to offer a better understanding of how social media, pop culture, and our surroundings
negatively affect our body image.
2. It Builds You Up And Others
Let’s rewind and go back to the two sisters, Nancy and Sarah.
As you may have noticed, Nancy resents Sarah for being thin without putting in any effort.
She prefers being alone as she thinks everyone else is superficial and beneath her.
Perhaps, she needs to bring others down to make herself feel better.
And who is to say Sarah does not suffer from her own insecurities?
Many times, people reassure themselves of their insecurities by picking flaws in others.
And sometimes, they push loved ones away as they think they are alone in their struggles.
What if Nancy had resorted to healthy coping mechanisms and shared her insecurities with her sister?
Perhaps, Sarah would’ve understood and told her about some of her own fears,
proving that they are both, indeed, the same.
With that being said, body positivity can help breed empathy,
allowing you to show compassion to yourself and others.
3. It Leads To Real-World Changes
Body positivity can help individuals dismantle their old ideas of beauty,
which are dictated mainly by magazines, TV, and social media.
At the same time, it can help create newer and healthier beauty standards
that are accepting of different body shapes, sizes, colors, and races.
Imagine if young and impressionable minds grew up watching a beautiful role model who looked like them?
And what if magazines and Instagram photos were not heavily retouched or photoshopped?
Perhaps, the younger generation would grow up thinking freckles, scars,
birthmarks, fine lines, and other so-called “flaws” were nothing out of the ordinary.
4. It Helps You Stay Healthy
A report published by Common Sense Media found that about 25% of kids
had tried some form of dieting before the tender age of 7.
And in adolescents like Nancy, restrictive eating can even catapult into worse mental health disorders,
such as depression or an eating disorder.
Perhaps, Nancy was bullied as a child for her looks.
Or her parents may have planted the seeds of doubt by criticizing and comparing her with her sister.
And add these to the surgically-enhanced bodies that plague the media.
Riddled with low esteem, young boys and girls may grow up with disordered eating habits.
They may have a tendency to over-exercise or even pick up an addiction to plastic surgery.
Sometimes, they will veil these cries for help under the guise of “self-love.”
But true self-love always puts emotional, mental, and physical well-being first.
You can still work hard to improve your body every day,
but it should come from a place of compassion.
What was once obsessive calorie-counting to lose weight
then becomes eating healthier food because it is good for the body,
and exercising because it truly feels good.
5. It Lets You See Beauty Everywhere
Contrary to popular belief, body positivity is not only about accepting yourself at any weight.
Discrimination because of your skin color, a disability you were born with,
or scars from an accident — all can lead to a negative body image.
But once you stop thinking about what society thinks,
you may find true beauty in the unlikeliest places.
Your facial features, the color of your skin and hair, the curls which you’ve been straightening all your life
— they are all tied to your heritage and tell a great story.
And the scar you were always scared of showing to people?
Look again – it may now look like the branch of the cherry blossom tree or a fiery dragon.
The gray hair that you’ve been dyeing?
Each strand starts symbolizing the wisdom you have gained throughout the years…
And if you can see the beauty in our video,
don’t forget to hit that like and subscribe button! It would really help our self-esteem!