There’s a fantastic body image positivity movement going around at the moment. People are fighting back and really taking a stand for being happy in your own body. It’s uplifting to see and I’m very glad to see that people are saying ‘eff your beauty standards’ and just being the way they want to be, especially those who are more curvy.
But my only issue is that those who are slim seem to be shoved to one side as a result. In the process of bringing up one size range of women, it often puts the other down. I tweeted a while back that all of these ‘real women’ campaigns rarely include anyone slim and completely ignore the fact that slim women are actually real people, replacing the typical models with those who aren’t any less than a 12/14. While this is great for building the confidence of those that society/the media may not represent size-wise, it also, in effect, shames women who are size 4-10 into thinking they’re not ‘real’ through the retaliation.
I’ve noticed this with every single person I’ve told I want to lose weight. Since I started working in an office (and we love food as a team) I’ve put on around half a stone. Despite the fact that this doesn’t seem like much, it’s really negatively affected the way I feel about myself and I’m genuinely not happy. I haven’t been able to look at myself in a full length mirror for around six months now without feeling hugely depressed, and that’s something I need to change. I’m a size 8-10, a 26 in jeans and I’m, what most people would say, ‘slim’. Does this stop me being unhappy with myself? No. No it doesn’t.
There seems to be this weird attitude that if you’re a size 6-10 you’re not allowed to lose weight. You must be happy with yourself because you’re in a certain size bracket. Full stop. I know half the time people are trying to be nice, but what if I do want that bikini body? What if that’s my ideal body shape? I’d kill to look like a Victoria Secrets model and that’s not society influencing me, that’s just how I’d be happiest with my body. Yet, whenever I say this, I get the same old replies; ‘but you’re already skinny’ and ‘you’re not fat, you don’t need to lose weight’.
So while we continue to battle against the unrealistic photoshopped versions of these models, can we at least acknowledge that the person behind them is as real as the next person? When we argue for body acceptance, can we also include those who are a size 4-10? Every single person should feel comfortable in their own body and we should be supporting everyone.
We should boost the confidence of all women, not just a certain size range. Are you unhappy with your body? Change it. Learn to love it. Do whatever you have to do to make yourself feel confident again, as body image is often one of the toughest battles we have to face.
What do you think about this issue? Please do let me know.
Make sure you enter my USA beauty giveaway and my £400 Sophia Wesbter shoes competition!
Helen x
Check out these blogs: Josie’s Journal, Luv Style and Loved by Laura
