We are always going to have our preferences of attraction or beauty and that is okay.
What is not okay is to shame people for their bodies, to assign guilt to someone as a person for how their body stands as a physical entity, because then we confuse somebody with some body.
There is beauty in everyone and once we start looking at people as agents capable of thought and feeling, not a collection of physiological pieces, we will find more peace. However, we cannot give that which we do not have, so be kind to yourself and give yourself the respect you unconditionally deserve, even if this idea seems too idealistic. I really encourage you to try it as a daily practice.
There is beauty in everyone, and once we start looking at people as agents capable of thought and feeling, not a collection of physiological pieces, we will find more peace.
If you’re unhappy with your body image, I challenge you to think of ten things you are thankful your body can do. Keep a mental list of ten things you like about your body that aren’t related to appearance or weight.
Beyond that, I challenge you to prioritize physical functionality over body image. Fitness targets physical functionality, and self-respect, emotional stability. A healthy, positive body image encompasses both functionalities for ultimate fulfillment.
In the sphere of social media, we’re all preoccupied about un-tagging ourselves, filtering and editing pictures to adhere to that ‘thinspiration’ to get more likes. But inspiration is no means to motivate an eating disorder. It doesn’t even make sense, anyway, to fulfil an emptiness by keeping our stomachs empty.
Whether you are overweight, average, or underweight, you need to eat because no size is immune to disordered eating, and it entails both overeating and under-eating. You don’t need to have a thigh gap to be pretty or a six pack to be handsome. You need to nourish your body and take care of it, wherever you are in your fitness journey.
I’m aware that advocating the idea of loving yourself stands somewhere on the verge of a cliché, and a generic psychological prescription. I’m aware it’s easier said than done, but I am aware of what it can do. Above all, I am aware that it is something you can do.
But it starts with ending the ‘fat talks’ among our friends, dismissing fat-shaming and skinny-shaming. It starts with being kind to yourself and not saying things to yourself that you wouldn’t want others to say to you. It starts with exercising to celebrate, not conform. It starts with deconstructing the idea that our happiness is relative, that it is something we can only measure against that of others.