As a girl in this world, it is so difficult not to get caught up in everyone’s definition of beauty. Everyone wants to be pretty and beautiful, and they do so much and devote a lot of their time and energy to becoming this ideal physical version of themselves. But in doing so, they lose a part of themselves. Like any other girl, I have always been very self-conscious about my appearance. Growing up, and even to this day, I have very low self-confidence and self-esteem. I constantly engage in negative self-talk about myself, and unfortunately, this is very representative of so many other girls in our society. Brooke Davis from One Tree Hill says something in an episode that has always stuck with me: “That’s what I’m afraid of. Not being enough. Not good enough, not smart enough, not pretty enough.” Many girls experience this sad reality in their day-to-day lives.
As a society, we only believe in one ideal body image and anyone who doesn’t fit into that ideal body image gets labeled with several hurtful and derogatory comments such as being “ugly,” “fat,” or “dark-skinned.” Because of these unrealistic expectations that society places on people, girls feel that they need to fit into this standard in order to fit into society and in order to be liked by everyone. Girls are often labeled as too fat, too skinny, too dark-skinned, or too light-skinned. With so many beauty expectations placed on girls, the exact definition of beauty becomes unclear and blurred.
We were all put on this planet in order to be different people, in order to do different things, and most importantly to look different. If every single girl in the entire universe looked the same way, that would be very boring. All of our bodies are genetically and chemically different. Therefore, it is impossible for each and every single one of us to look the same exact way and have a certain body structure and shape.
Some girls only work out and do certain things, such as wearing makeup and wearing certain types of clothing, because they think that is what they need to do in order to be accepted and liked by society. Imagine a world in which nobody cared about your physical appearance — would you still place that much emphasis and importance on your body? Probably not. It is important to distinguish between whether you are genuinely doing something for yourself and for your health, or if you are doing something for society. The moment you start doing things for your body because you want to and not for others is when self-love begins. Self-love is definitely a process because you can’t magically learn to love and adore your body. Self-love will also look different for everyone. There are some strategies and techniques that I try to implement in my life. For example, I try to say or write (or both!) daily positive affirmations. This can help you identify what you like about yourself and can help you identify your strengths. I also try to tell myself that it’s okay to eat unhealthy foods or foods that are high in calories and carbs once in a while.
Make sure to love and embrace who you are because there is only one you in the world! You are unique and you are beautiful just the way you are!
Can’t get enough of HC UMass Amherst? Be sure to follow us on Instagram, listen to us on Spotify, like us on Facebook, and read our latest Tweets!