Every day I see ads, videos, pictures, and articles about what women need to do to be better than what they already are. One of the biggest issues that I see is people critiquing the way women look. I struggle with body dysmorphia and eating habits that are driven by the media telling women they need to look a certain way. It is a constant battle between giving in to that mindset and breaking away from it.
There are many obstacles we have to overcome to fix this issue within the media and ourselves. One of the hardest obstacles to get over with this issue is helping women ignore these critiques and achieve-self love. This will be harder because no matter what, the media will always have something to say about women. When these comments and critiques on our bodies have been engraved in our minds it is difficult to change especially when the media feeds into it. This obstacle almost seems impossible to achieve, but we can take baby steps.
The biggest action we can take is normalizing larger bodies, stretch marks, and cellulite. Many different routes can be taken to achieve this. Most of us can admit that we edit and alter our pictures and bodies when posting on social media sites, which not only gives false expectations to other women but also towards ourselves. Posting your body unedited and not altered can help other women feel comfortable in their bodies and lessen the expectations of yourself.
Another route we can take is to make educational videos or posts talking about how larger bodies, stretch marks, and cellulite are normal. For example, you can post a video explaining how stretch marks grow on a body and how it is a normal thing that happens. Showing these types of bodies on social media will allow them to be seen as normal.
Lastly, many corporations that do not have diversity in their sizes and models shown in ads, magazines, and social media. We can stop buying from these corporations and express that larger sizes are needed. If these companies see that the more diverse companies are doing better, they will set higher expectations to become more diverse in body type. Companies such as Aerie, H&M, and Target are great places to shop for plus-size women.These changes are small but once these factors are normalized in our society we will see more women confident in their true selves. Do you believe seeing more women with your body type will help you become more confident? To help make a change share this post with women you know.
