Don’t Fit The Mould. Break It!

The hefty pressures of body image are driving people to reaching their limits in order to conform. It’s time to appreciate the anatomy you were born with and embrace the beauty that is your body!

Despite countless efforts to encourage people to embrace their bodies, it seems that body positivity is still a cause for concern in modern society. It’s no surprise that it’s a hot topic with not only the media in general but also mental health experts who state “it’s an epidemic, but unfortunately one we will never be able to cure”.

For as far back into history as one can recall, the ‘perfect’ body has always been strived for. From the Elizabethan age all the way to the blonde bombshell era of Marilyn Monroe, the standard of beauty in not just women but men have always been unrealistically high. But it is society that sets these high standards, something that must be remedied.

Social media platforms like Instagram and Snapchat allow users to post pictures of themselves to share to the world. What should seem like a friendly way to keep tabs on those you care about has become more of a frantic race to see who has the best eyebrows, the best jawline, the best muscles; it’s completely lost all meaning at this point. Even my friends, as naturally beautiful as they all are, constantly tell me of how they must stay tanned in order to meet the standards of modern beauty; bleaching their skin with cosmetics that are so unnecessary, corroding their true beauty.

In addition, the influencers we look up to on these platforms boast dietary products on their pages that not only promotes this idea that in order to be beautiful we must be thin, but also encourages the younger audiences that look up to them to alter their own beauty standards in order to conform to what the ‘celebrities’ are doing. It’s simply silly at this point.

And how could we forget the dominance that is the world of plastic surgery. Popularised in the 1990’s by the most infamous at the time, plastic surgery has allowed many to achieve the body of their dreams! However, is it really the body of their dreams? Or the ideology of modern beauty standards? Although for a brief period of time cosmetic surgery allows for a unique look, over time it slowly degrades the body from the inside; just as modern beauty standards have done on today’s society. Crumbling it from within.

Being a current topic linked with mental health, body positivity is a movement of sorts that encourages all people of all genders to appreciate the anatomy that they were born with; boasting what it is that makes them different instead of trying to alter their appearance to do what everyone else is doing at that time. As it always has been, people fear change and wish anything but to be alienated from the rest of society, yet it is this exact idea that must be welcomed with open arms. The constant burden of trying to fit the mould can result in serious repercussion on the mind and has in some cases catalysed suicide at the youngest of ages and it’s time to finally realise that just because someone has a different look than you doesn’t mean you are anything less than them!

Revel in the beauty that you were born with, show of the curves that allow you stand out, turn heads with what makes YOU different! It’s a necessity that as a society we rally in encouraging body positivity for we should not have to create stress and anxiety on ourselves for the sake of pleasing others, it’s immoral. Acceptance is the key to societal development and breaking the mould of beauty standards is the only way to allow this.

Work towards positive self image.