Trigger Warning: This article mentions eating disorders.
Alright, here are the steps:
1. Get a bikini.
2. Put it on your body.
Ta-da! You now have a bikini body.
“Wait, strange author,” you say. “Where are the other steps? The part where I lose twenty whole pounds in a week? How am I supposed to call attention to my abs?”
Listen. I have a huge problem with the terms “spring break body” and “bikini bod” and anything else alluding to an image of a thin, scar- and cellulite- and stretch mark-free, abled, white, cis female, perfectly proportioned body.
Look, I’m not attacking anyone who has this body. I’m not saying you shouldn’t like your body. No, you should not be banished for being the poster child of what every female is told is the “right” way to look. My problem is not the body. It’s how people use this image against everyone else who doesn’t have this body. Think about the conversations people have when they talk about their bodies. I have very few friends who speak highly of the way they look. It’s perfectly acceptable for strangers to insult themselves to each other. Locker rooms or bathrooms are breeding grounds for communal over-scrutinization. I think the only ugly part of this culture is how normal it’s become. It especially rears its ugly head when it comes time for bodies to be visibly seen, such as spring break when people travel to warm, sunny beaches instead of staying in Utah’s fickle, snowy springtime. I mean, pictures will be taken, of course. And god forbid anyone knows I have a body underneath my clothing. Time to shed off that extra weight!
When “I hate myself,” becomes trendy, there are catastrophic repercussions.You begin worrying about your body and want to shrink it as much as possible. You count macros and you over-exercise and fast. That’s what we call a “diet,” but I like to call it disordered eating. It’s what it is. It isn’t normal to ignore your hunger cues and avoid entire food groups. It also isn’t normal to lose a massive amount of weight over time. Then what happens is you tend to snap and binge all the foods you’d been avoiding. It’s your body’s reaction to the scarcity you put it through, as a means of survival. But what happens instead of feeling better is you feel absolutely horrible. I mean, you went through all the work of losing that weight, only to ruin your (so-called) progress?
Not only does this mentality affect individuals internally, but it spurs competition between people. I cannot count on my hands how many girls I’ve seen slander other women because of someone posting Instagram photos in her swimsuit. Honestly, I’ve known people who block other girls because they cannot handle how pretty they are. The snide comments drip with fervent jealousy because women are taught two things: one, we must compare ourselves to each other instead of support each other; and two, the most important trait a woman can have is to be beautiful.
We place value on ourselves and each other based on what we look like.
Luckily, there is hope to fix the damage that’s been done and pave the way for a brighter future.
There is a revolution, and it’s been growing exponentially. It’s called “body positivity.” Body positivity can mean a lot of things, but the most refined yet straightforward definition I’ve found is from a blog post by Megan Jayne Crabbe, a prominent voice and published author in this community.
“The aim of body positivity has always been to give representation to the body types that aren’t recognised as beautiful or valid in our culture.”
Body positivity brings light to the bodies that have been pushed away into the dark for so long. This is a movement that promotes fat, trans, disabled, brown, black bodies. It’s to tell marginalized bodies that they’re POPPIN. So yes, while you should still feel good about yourself if you have the conventionally attractive body, I ask this question: what about modern media has said otherwise? In this way, I hope we practice what Michelle Elman speaks about in her TED Talk. She is also a renowned bopo activist and author who launched a campaign called “Scarred not Scared,” discussing her life growing up with a disabled, fat body, and growing out of feeling ashamed of it. In this particular talk, she discusses shifting the focus away from what your body looks like to what it can actually do.
From left to right: Megan Crabbe, Enam Asiama, and Grace Victory. Shot by Linda Blacker.
Body positivity brings representation to alllllll the bodies. I’m talking about showing every dimpled thigh, low boob to butt ratio, squishy stomach goodness. I’m talking about re-writing what we’ve previously said was acceptable. This time around, there is no definition of a “good” body. All bodies are good bodies. All bodies are capable bodies. All bodies are worthy. Until that sinks in for everyone, I will almost always give someone the side-eye when they say they need a bikini body and ask them what that really means.
Mean Girls image source: x