Fuck The Beauty Standards

It seems like everytime we scroll down social media, we’re bombarded by images of people and things that we feel we need to look like or have, and if we don’t, we’re somehow losing in life? Mans are well confused. Here are a few statistics about what social media has done to the way we view ourselves:

• 78% of women in a Dove study felt that the portrayal of women on social media is unrealistic. 82% percent of women also said they believed social media can change prevailing standards of beauty.

• According to a study by the Girl Scouts of America, out of over 1000 adolescent girls surveyed, 88% of the girls believe that the media puts a lot of pressure on them to be thin, 65% believe that the body image represented in the fashion industry in the media is too skinny.

• Women are more likely to compare themselves with their peers than with celebrities

• About 70% of young women edit their pictures before posting them

• When a woman makes a negative comparison with the other woman they are looking at, the impact is more pronounced when the image is on social media.

• Women are also more likely to diet and do exercise when negative comparisons take place on sites such as Facebook or Instagram.

Kim’s View

I personally say fuck the beauty standards. According to who? It's so funny because in a weird way I say I fit some of these “beauty standards”. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a “Black” woman, I already hold one L more than the “White” woman according to whoever created these beauty standards...but in the sense that I’m “thin”, “tall”, and whatever box they want to throw me in. Yea people gas me up for having some of these traits off of this dumb fake list, but even if I didn’t, BESS BELIEVE I’d still feel like the baddest bitch. Why? Because I know who I am. Don't get me wrong, always learning though. I know what I bring to the table and that's nothing but positive vibes. Once you recognize that your beauty is indeed skin deep, you’ll truly see your own beauty and not be so influenced by what you see on your timeline. I don’t get how there’s basically 5 beauty standards for 5 trillion people...like does that even make sense? We all come from different walks of life, different struggles, different stories, different degrees of beauty. Having a small butt and small boobs doesn’t make you any less of a woman, the same as having a huge butt and huge boobs doesn’t make you any more of a woman. It really makes a difference when you have real friends that display the wide spectrum of beauty and don’t feel robbed of their own complimenting you on yours *major key*. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH POSITIVE PEOPLE. People with a strong sense of self and aren’t just plain haters. People who are grounded in REALITY. These group of friends will definitely remind you that social media is a virtual world, and having people that actually like you for you and not just how you look in a bikini, reassures the notion that you’re a bomb ass person. And don’t think these rules don’t apply to you fellas as well. Social media out here pressuring mans to get that quick dough, so they can flex, get the “biddies”, when in fact it’s not that cute. It's not cute at all. Chasing temporary dough, for temporary dreams, with temporary love. Looks good...sounds pretty sad. But of course we’re confused! That’s all we seem to double tap for nowadays. We’re slowly losing our individuality and conforming to such dumb standards that don’t even look like us. I vow to myself; to love my black skin, to accept my flaws and use my insecurities as building blocks to a better character. To not only be an example to my fella sistas but an example that I’d want my children to look up to. All I know is that the Most High made me in his image (Genesis 1:27 KJV), and that’s pretty beautiful if you ask me <3

Racquel’s View

Okay guys, it’s about to get personal. Growing up I was chubby asf but I didn’t really take in my body image until I was 13. I found out that my “friend” at the time was talking shit behind my back with this other dude saying how fat I was. Granted, my eating habits weren’t the best. But if you have ever been called fat at such a crucial age like that, then you know how I feel. I couldn’t stop thinking about that comment, I was obsessed. So what did I do? I restricted the fuck out of what I was eating. My days were filled with tiny portion sizes and skipping meals. I didn’t weigh myself, but I could physically see I was getting thinner. However, I still wasn’t satisfied with the look. The most damaging thing was the mindset I had which I still struggle with. I go on Instagram on the regular and I always see these models with abs, nice boobs, and an hourglass figure that I look at and want to achieve so bad, but can’t. A big insecurity of mine for the longest time is my hip dips. I don’t have round hips, they dip (aka hip dips), and tbh I try to make up for that in the way that I pose in my pictures. But who even said that hip dips are “unattractive” and I have to spend hours at the gym doing hip abductors to try to round them out? And why do I still pose like that in photos anyways? Why aren’t we satisfied with the way God built us? A few months ago I decided to start living a healthier life. I decided if I wanted to look a certain way, I’d do it the right way by eating good foods and exercising. Every day though is a struggle to look in the mirror and not focus on where my body isn’t. I have to always remind myself that I’m doing this for myself and not so other people can look at me and think I’m the shit. The best advice I’ve received was to think of your body as a physical form put into this earth to achieve a purpose. We weren’t put on this earth to strive for unreachable beauty standards, we were put on this earth to live and contribute to society and live the best life we can. I try to remember that on days where it’s a struggle to look in the mirror. Maybe it can work for you too if you struggle with body image.

"Real women have curves, and not. They are tall, and not. They are brown-skinned, and olive-skinned, and not. They have small breasts, and big ones, and no breasts whatsoever." -Hanne Blank

References

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/mar/05/friends-pictures-on-social-media-biggest-impact-body-image

https://girlsempowermentnetwork.org/blog/media-today-unattainable-beauty-standards/

http://nytlive.nytimes.com/womenintheworld/2015/04/03/new-study-shows-impact-of-social-media-on-beauty-standards/