Body positivity is something that I feel is slowly being drained from our society. We are born with different looks and attributes that distinguish us from each other. We all have different shaped heads, noses, mouths, etc. These features (or lack thereof) have been passed down through generations, from the features our ancestors had, to the climate and environment they lived in and that we live in now. These features are what makes us who we are. Unfortunately, society has made some people feel they need to change parts of themselves in order to fit in more or be seen more. This issue has become more and more prevalent as time goes on. Social media and the celebrities that make body alteration look normal are only adding fuel to this fire and it really breaks my heart.
I feel that, aside from medical issues, no one should feel that they need to alter their bodies. No one is worth showing off to, or trying to compete with. As they say, “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder”. That means that we all have different ideas of what is beautiful, sexy, etc. Even what might seem universal might not be always be desired. We use the top percentage of attractive people to dictate how we feel about ourselves and it can be very disheartening and demotivating. Some people may also have BDD (Body Dysmorphic Disorder), which compels them to constantly look at flaws in their appearance. These flaws then become a vehicle of low self-esteem and depression. A combination of all of these things can then make someone feel that they need to physically change the parts to get “fixed”. I truly believe that getting these BBL (Brazilian Butt Lifts) or breast augmentations done is not rooted in positive mental health. We as a society can sometimes prioritize the wrong things and it has a ripple effect on our mental landscape.
Too many people care about the validation that they get from others. It eats away at us inside and makes us doubt ourselves. This can lead to some taking drastic measures in order to be noticed and to get more clout. This becomes an issue when the general consensus is more vain and artificially focused. Social media in particular continues to show “models” and other individuals that showcase what is considered to be the most attractive. A lot of the time, work was done to their bodies in order to get that way. I am in no way knocking those that put in hard work in fitness in order to look attractive. It’s those that showoff a clearly altered body and try to make it seem as though that should be normalized. It should not. No way. I don’t feel as though it should ever be an option, (not counting medical reasons). I think we should all just be okay in the skin we are in. What others think should not factor into how we feel about ourselves.
Everyone has their preferences for features. We all like what we like. Every single person. We cannot let our insecurities get the best of us and make us want to change our bodies. It just makes me feel off knowing people are putting things in their bodies or shifting fat just to be excepted. We need to develop mindsets that can allow us to walk out into the world and be confident in ourselves. Not only confident, but also willing to put in the work it takes to make the best of our natural given features. If someone doesn’t like you for whatever reason (flat butt, flat chest, short, low muscle mass, etc) they can fuck off. They don’t get to live in our mental space rent free. You have a right to be able to live into the skin your in comfortably and without feeling as though you need to live up to society’s standards of attractiveness. Please stop feeling as though you need to conform to society. Please stop causing eventual harm and sickness just to impress people you can’t ask for help in an emergency. We are all better than that.
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