In honor of Body Appreciation Week- start loving your body.
Confession: sometimes I call myself fat. It’s not something I’m proud of; in fact I annoy myself doing it. Why are we, or maybe just I, so obsessed with our (or my) appearance? It’s 9pm and you’re in your room getting dressed to go out, very likely you and your friends will yell about how you have nothing to wear and everything you put on makes you look fat. Why do we do this? It definitely doesn’t make us feel better and I don’t think most of us actually even believe it. So why do we continue to put ourselves down? Is it because we want reassurance and compliments from our friends? Or maybe it’s because our insecurities get the best of us when we are slightly intoxicated. No matter the reason, it’s not helpful or the truth!
First of all, it doesn’t define beauty. Second of all, it eats away at our confidence. Think about it this way, do you like the guy with a lot of confidence or the insecure guy with his head down. I know personally I’m more
attracted to the confident guy. But it doesn’t even have to do with boys. You should be confident for yourself. Going out at night, or class during the day, will be one hundred times more fun if you’re happy and confident rather than if you’re sad and insecure.
Of course, it’s a lot easier to tell someone to be confident than actually be able to be confident. I am in no position to miraculously turn our insecurities into confidence, but I think reflecting about what you say to yourself is a great step towards being able to love your body and yourself. So I encourage you, and myself, to refrain from putting ourselves down. Start today, and remember this weekend. Be confident and appreciate your body, you only get one. Well, I guess you can get plastic surgery, but even Heidi Montag is regretting her transformation now.
On the other hand, there are people who have true difficulty with insecurities and body image. If you know a friend, or you yourself, who struggles with these problems where it is or has become physically or mentally destructive then it is time to seek help. Colby offers counseling, or talk to your friends, family, or primary doctor. It’s not just about appreciating your own body, although it usually does start there, it’s also about appreciating your friends’ bodies and supporting them. Start loving your body.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Colby chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.