As a result of major events in the media this week, I thought it would only be fair to feature two women. It’s amazing to see celebrities and people with major social influence using their power to send important, positive messages to their large audiences. I’m going tell you a little bit about how, individually, each of these ladies are impacting other women, and how they are contributing to a changing perception of what positive body image means.
1. Ariana Grande
Quote: “Loving yourself is sexy!”
Ariana Grande dominated in an Instagram and Twitter battle this week. After an anonymous commenter compared her to actress Ariel Winter, saying “curves are sexy sticks aren’t,” she responded with a friendly reminder directed at everyone on social media. Instead of using this opportunity to compete with and shame another woman, she used it to teach an important lesson on body image.
Grande screenshotted the comment and responded, “sigh….. tweets, comments, statements like this are not okay. About anyone!!! We live in a day and age where people make it IMPOSSIBLE for women, men, anyone to embrace themselves exactly how they are. Diversity is sexy! Loving yourself is sexy!! You know what is NOT sexy? Misogyny, objectifying, labeling, comparing and body shaming!!! Talking about people’s bodies as if they’re on display ASKING for your approval / opinion. THEY ARE NOT!!!! CELEBRATE YOURSELF. CELEBRATE OTHERS. The things that make us different from one another make us BEAUTIFUL. BODY BOUNDARIES. LOVE LOVE LOVE ONLY.”
It’s about time someone called us out on all the work we have to do. It’s time to get out of a period where young women feel like they need to look a certain way in order to have value.
2. Essena O’Neill
Quote: “Real life isn’t through screens.”
Essena O’Neill is a famous teenage Instagrammer with thousands of followers on Instagram, YouTube, Tumblr, and Snapchat. On the same day that Ariana responded to the haters on Instagram, O’Neill had a change in conscience that will improve her life and the lives of girls around the world. She decided to completely remove herself from social media, ending the career she had formed around it. Her reasoning? “Social media, especially how I used it, isn’t real,” she announced to her viewers in an emotional video titled “Why I REALLY Am Quitting Social Media.” She begged young women to go outside, be with people, and experience the world. O’Neill gained some serious perspective on how miserable she really was while appearing to have it all – perfect clothes, a toned body, and an exciting social life. She was allowing her value to be determined by the number of likes she received. But even when she received thousands, she could not help but want more.
So what is she doing now? Like Grande, O’Neill is using her fame for good. She launched a website called “Let’s Be Game Changers,” encouraging young women to get off social media and explore the world and be themselves. She also retitled her Instagram account “Social Media Is Not Real Life,” and proceeded to re-caption the photos with the ugly reality behind each photo. One caption under a photo of her in a bikini reads, “NOT REAL LIFE – took over 100 in similar poses trying to make my stomach look good. Would have hardly eaten that day. Would have yelled at my little sister to keep taking them until I was somewhat proud of this. Yep so totally #goals.”
Thank you, Ariana and Essena. It’s messages like these that we need to constantly remind ourselves that what we do should be for ourselves, not for someone else’s approval. Social media is responsible for many body image issues in young women. It feels like a competition – how can I look better than her? How can I have her body? I completely agree with Ariel Winter when she said, “I especially believe in today’s world we all need to stick together- I believe in EMPOWERING other women and not putting them down.” Ladies, let’s stand together. We are all beautiful and we certainly do NOT need social media telling us otherwise.
Images from:
http://factmag-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/ariana-grande020215.jpg
https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/541994725_640.jpg
http://static.tumblr.com/3clxvnv/S9nlwp21t/elephants.jpg