While today’s society has seen a lot of changes, being body positive is still something that is not easy to do for yourself. When it comes to encouraging other people around you it’s so easy to help them feel more positive about their bodies. You can tell them that body norms are changing and we shouldn’t just be focusing on one body type. That everyone is made differently and you should love yourself the way you are. It’s so easy to preach this to other people and yet it’s so hard to tell yourself those same things and actually listen to them.
It’s hard for us to not compare our bodies to others. I’ve learned this recently with my own sister. She is two years older than me and has a 2 kids so her body has gone through changes that my own has not. Even though our bodies are different she wants us to be the same size because that’s how it used to be. She doesn’t see that her body is fine just the way it is.
Even though there are campaigns that are encouraging men and women to own their bodies and accept themselves for who they are, it’s not an easy switch to flip. While billboards and magazines have shown models with different body types, there still aren’t enough media outlets that do the same. Tv and movie actors are still encouraged to have fit body types. Whether that be a flat stomach or being toned muscular, it’s still showcasing a body type that has been praised for so many years.
Not enough tv shows and movies show women in the late teens or early twenties with belly pouches. Even if you were on the thinner side, if you don’t have a flat stomach you can still have insecurities about your body. Young mother’s don’t see their body types represent either which adds to their difficulties in being body positive. The struggle is learning how to stop comparing your body to the bodies you see in media. Society made more steps in becoming body positive but Hollywood is taking much slower steps. This adds to why it’s harder to be body positive more yourself. Society says one thing, but Hollywood shows us another.
Learning to be body positive is a process. It’s ok if some days you feel more positive than others when it comes to your body. Our bodies are constantly changing and that’s something we have to keep in mind. Weight fluctuates, muscles and being toned doesn’t stay forever, but it’s important to remember that whatever you want to do with your body and to your body, you do it out of love.