Body positivity is a phrase that women and men everywhere are familiar with. In the era where feminism is at its height, body positivity is a term frequently thrown around, especially towards females. But what is body positivity and what does it entail? To begin, it’s a movement driven by self-love; loving your body for what it is, taking care of it, and being accepting of different body types. It isn’t an easy thing to do for most, especially in an era where social media dominates. Loving your body for what it is and not comparing it to what is seen in the media is difficult. It took me almost 22 years to be able to look in the mirror and actually be okay with what I saw. It took me almost 22 years to look at not one, not two, but multiple photos of myself in a bikini and actually be happy with them. Happy enough that I posted not one, not two, but multiple bikini photos on Instagram over the summer. I was finally accepting of the body I had even though it was nothing like the models I’d see on Instagram.
I’d feel really good until I’d see tweets and comments about how girls in bikinis need to go get a personality or to do something else with their time that was productive and not wasteful. While not aimed at me, reading these statements would upset and anger me. Who are you to judge who I am as a person and determine what I value in life based off of a picture that I felt good in? I’ve been curvy ever since I hit puberty, I’ve had a butt that has been commented on since I was 13 years old, and until this year I hated it.
A photo of me smiling where my butt looked good says two things, and that is that I thought my butt looked good and I was happy in that moment. Nothing else. It doesn’t tell you that I’ve personally raised over $3,000 for breast cancer research and walked the Avon39, which is a 39.3-mile walk done over the span of two days, twice. It doesn’t tell you how I love to go hiking and swimming or how I’m a member of the dance clubs and Best Buddies at my university. A photo of me in a bikini doesn’t tell you that I know enough of two different languages to get me around those countries and gow I’ve traveled all over the world driven by my curiosity of different cultures. Nothing about how I love to cook, bake, and try new beers with family and friends. There’s nothing mentioned in that photo that I’ve been on three international mission trips and two volunteer trips, two of those trips which I took this summer. Seeing as it’s a photo, it also tells you nothing about who I am as a person, my likes and dislikes, and my strong desire to be a positive role model for my three sisters and their friends.
Some people don’t like posting photos in bikinis, and that is totally fine. I, on the other hand, will continue to do so because you know what else those photos don’t tell you? They don’t tell you the struggles I’ve faced with my body. How I would starve my body, counting calories meticulously, working out every day making sure to burn off every calorie I consumed. How I was almost 20lbs lighter than I am now, yet I would look in the mirror and think I was fat and then go for my second run of the day. I’ve struggled with accepting my body, nourishing it properly, and understanding my body was not built to have a thigh gap.
Don’t judge a book by its cover, and don’t judge a person by a photo they liked enough to share. Also, I hate to break it to you, but you’re not a feminist if you’re judging someone for a photo they posted. You’re just a hypocrite. It’s taken me 22 years to appreciate my body and realize all it has done for me, so you can bet your bottom dollar if I think my butt or my abs that appear when I flex just right look good, I’m going to post the photo. And for all the girls and guys out there, keep killing the game and loving yourself.