Have you ever seen another collegiette walking down the street and got jealous of her curves, or jealous of her lack of curves? Someone could tell us every day that we are beautiful and that size doesn’t matter, yet we still look at ourselves and wish things looked differently. As young women, we are so terribly self-conscious of every little thing and the last thing we want is for another person or even another woman to make fun of us for our size.
When I walk around the VCU campus, I love seeing every individual’s sense of style and fashion. If I get the chance to stand in line or in the elevator next to a collegiette with a hairstyle or clothing item I like, I’ll compliment her and hope that I just made her day. I like to do that because I know many of us don’t always have the highest self-esteem.
Some of the honest thoughts I have when I look in the mirror include: “Is this shirt too tight?” “Does it make me look fat?” “Does it make me look pregnant?” “Does it make my chest look too small?” “Are these leggings showing too much?” “Should I even try to put on jeans today?” I’m sure many other collegiettes have similar thoughts. I don’t know where and when this body shaming of myself began. It may have started sometime in high school, where I would see the more popular girls judge other girls’ outfits piece by piece.
It also comes from the things we see on television, on social media and read in magazines. We constantly see skinny models on the cover of magazines, in fashion week shows and on billboards. Young women constantly put themselves down when they see or read those types of advertisements.
But I think that times are changing and changing for the better. No one should ever feel bad about their size because everyone is different and everyone is beautiful in their own way. Role models like Nicki Minaj, Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian West, Khloe Kardashian, Rebel Wilson, Demi Lovato, Jennifer Lawrence and Jennifer Lopez are telling us to embrace our curves!
So don’t walk by a collegiette whose size is different than yours and judge her, because you know you wouldn’t like it if it were done to you. We need to be encouraging each other as fellow females, instead of bringing each other down. So, instead tell a friend, acquaintance or another collegiate that you like her hair, shoes, shirt etc. and I guarantee she will feel better about herself and so will you!