Body Image

My Inspirations...

• Weight Management and Eating Behaviors class
• Dove commercials
• Just The Way You Are-Bruno Mars
• Talks with my roommates
• The Biggest Loser
• What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger-Kelly Clarkson

We've been learning about body image in my weight management class. It's super interesting how the media has a way of influencing the public into thinking that the photo-shopped, tiny, unhealthy skinny person is the sexy person.

The hard part for me is that we, as a society, let this happen. We allow photographers and fashion industries dictate our definition of beauty. 

And if you really think about it, what makes these images of people beautiful? There is nothing beautiful about skeletons, so what makes covering a skeleton with skin beautiful?

Nothing.

We, as a society, have the right to show the media that being a healthy size is more beautiful than being unhealthily skinny. 

Who decided that it was okay to make 0 a size? Who decided that anything above a size 3 is now classified as a plus size model?

• 20 years ago, models weighed 8% less than the average woman. Today, models weigh 23% less than the average woman.
• The average American woman is 5'4" and 140 lbs. The average American model is 5'11" and 117 lbs.
• About 7% of twelfth grade boys have used steroids to become more muscular.
• One out of every four college aged women has an eating disorder.
• Americans spend more than $40,000,000,000 a year on dieting and diet-related products
• Almost half of all women smokers smoke because it is a way to manage their weight... 25% of them die from smoking-related diseases.
• 11.7 million cosmetic procedures were done in the U.S. in 2007--91% were on women.
• A study found that 53% of 13-year-old girls were unhappy with their bodies. This grows to 78% by the time they reach 17-years-old.

I'm sure every girl can relate when I say that all my life I have beaten myself up for not being perfect. I have never been skinny enough, or pretty enough, or smart enough, or enough for anything in general. I have done drastic dieting, like only consuming 500 calories a day to to become what the media portrays as beautiful.

But now I've come to the conclusion.

Who are these people that are given the right to tell us we're not beautiful based on size?

Who made it okay for photographers to kindly but firmly decline photographing a person, just because they're not what the 'industry' wants?

Who are these women that are so beautiful, but completely unrealistic?

So this is me. I'm not perfect by the media's standards, and I'm not quite perfect by my own standards either. But, I am a Child of God and I was made perfect by Him. My boobs are big, my thighs touch, my nose is larger, and my eyes squint when I smile. My stomach isn't flat, my hip bones aren't visible, and I am constantly worrying about what other people think about me. But not anymore. The media should not have a say in if I am beautiful or not-I should. Personally, I would rather be larger and able to bring children into this world, than to be society's version of beautiful and be barren.
After all, isn't confidence sexier than no fat?

My challenge:
Make those people in your life feel beautiful-because they are. Don't allow society to dictate which of God's children are beautiful, and which are not. Be more open to different sizes, because after all-we were all made differently. Be the change you wish to see in the world. And find beauty all around you.