With spring break rolling right around the corner, I decided to dedicate this blog post to body image. While talking with a few of my friends, they started expressing their worry about posting pictures in their bathing suits. They were coming up with strategic ways to take Instagram pictures without getting their stomachs in them. We spent around an hour just focusing on perfecting poses for spring break. While I am completely guilty of this act as well, it still made me sad. Why, instead of being excited about going to the beach and having fun with friends, do we focus on the image of our bodies in a bathing suit? As a society, we have become so attentive to social media’s looming presence. Every picture we post needs to be perfect, to give off the idea that we are leading spectacular lives. Beach pictures are no exception.
In a society where we are constantly surrounded by images of Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid, is it no wonder why we are so embarrassed of our bodies? These girls are constantly flaunting their perfectly toned and tanned bodies on social media, and instead of appreciating our bodies, we are filled with dissatisfaction. Why can’t we have curves in all the right places, yet still be slender? Why can’t our thighs be that thin? Why can’t we have her muscle definition? It’s hard not to constantly compare yourself to these models. The problem with these girls on Instagram is that they are airbrushed. Not to mention the access they have to personal trainers as well as expensive health foods. We are just as beautiful as them, and we do not need to beat ourselves up over not looking like them.
When your friends complain about they way they look, what do you say? You probably tell them that they are gorgeous, and that is because you actually believe that. We can see our friends’ inner and outer beauty, and it’s heartbreaking when they do not see it. Our loved ones feel the same way about us. Why is it so easy to accept the beauty of others’ bodies, and not our own? I don’t have an answer for that either. However, remember that you are a completely unique individual, and that is beautiful.
I challenge you this spring break (and hopefully longer) to love yourself and your body. Love your “imperfections”, the things that make you, you. Enjoy your experiences, instead of focusing on the way your stomach looks in an Instagram picture. And remember how to get a bikini body: put a bikini on your body.