'Each person's body demands to be accepted on it's own terms'- Gloria Steinem
- siddhi jairath
- Nov 5, 2020
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 9, 2021
I’m fat.
I’m thin.
I’m short.
I’m tall.
I’m ugly.
Our world today is filled with unhealthy beauty standards which are impossible to meet. From instagram posts to magazine covers, we’re taught that if we aren’t thin with an hourglass figure, with rosy cheeks, foxy eyes, photogenic looks and a ‘good- looking’ body, we aren’t accepted.
I don’t even want to be accepted into a society where character is based off of our clothes and our worth is judged off of our looks.
What we want:
What we get:
What even are beauty standards?
Pressure put onto us by society? We need to get rid of outdated beauty standards because these standards can be so toxic and unhealthy for people who aim to reach them.
Gyms and Beauty Parlors are booming with business nowadays. 90% of people who go to the gym are either there because of criticism they have received from friends, family or relatives or maybe they're just insecure of their body.
The other 10% are people who actually want to workout; not for some snobby relatives or judgy friends but because they, themselves want to lose a few pounds, gain some muscles and not look but be healthy.
It’s nothing wrong to feel insecure about how you look, it’s normal and it’s okay to feel like that. But don’t let that insecurity make you feel like you're not good enough. You are beautiful just the way you are, don’t let anyone tell you different. Do not let that insecurity cause you to make decisions which are unhealthy or dangerous for your body.
Bullying
This toxic lifestyle has come to the point where teenagers are constantly being bullied and picked on for looking different.
30 percent of girls and 24 percent of boys in the middle school experienced daily bullying, teasing, and/or rejection because of their size. These numbers doubled for overweight high school students, with 63 percent of girls and 58 percent of boys experiencing some form of bullying due to their weight and size.
What happened to the time when school was all about learning, making friends and enjoying a safe environment. Nowadays, school seems to be all about memorizing for tests, getting backstabbed by friends and bullying. I remember back when I used to be super excited to go to school, now, I dread going to school. I’m tired of the toxic environment full of judgy students.
Photo Editing and Celebrities
Celebrities aren’t the greatest example or idols either. With the constant lies which spread their wings across social media, bad examples are set everyday.
With the technology provided to us nowadays, we can do almost anything. From editing a picture to stealing an identity, the list just goes on.
Fair and Lovely Ads
“Fair and Lovely”, A well known advertisement across India. Stereotypes in India include Fairness. India is obsessed when it comes to a lighter shade of foundation or fairness technologies. One of such technologies include the popular product called ‘Fair and Lovely’. Not just that, this trend of lighter skin has got to the point where people are bleaching their skin in hope of a better chance of acceptance.
In my opinion, I may not have the lightest color of skin but that really doesn’t matter.. I don’t care about my skin because I know that every person in this world is different and beautiful in their own way. Why should we change because society said we should? We need to change society and it’s disgusting stereotypes and by following and changing ourselves to ‘fit in’ is not going to help. We need to rise above these standards and create more positive body standards.
There are more important things to focus on than the color of skin.
Positive Instagram pages
Self Esteem
I don’t think people understand how badly criticism about their body can affect self esteem and mental health. Hate comments can really make you doubt yourself and your existence. Know that you are beautiful and unique just like everyone else! Accept your body and accept the bodies of others, Like your body and Take care of your body. Stay positive about your body and about the bodies of others.
Normalize
“Beauty has no shape”
“All bodies are good bodies”
“Normalize all bodies”
“A woman who is confident in her own body is no one’s business but her own”
Bibliography
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