Body Image
A Tumblr user once said “you know how you look at a word for too long and it stops making sense? I think that’s what we do to our bodies when we stare at the mirror so long that even our best traits start looking bad to us.”
As a generation of people that grew up watching perfect looking Disney princesses and princes, and binge- watching shows with a flawless looking cast of adults playing the role of teenagers, it comes as no surprise that a lot of teenagers feel dissatisfied with their bodies. Add to that, opening social media every day to find ‘body goals’ commented on images of people that you look nothing like.
With society and media constantly telling us that we are not enough, feeling uncomfortable in our own skin is completely natural. In a survey of about fifteen teenagers who were questioned if they thought body image was a real issue among teenagers, the answer was an undisputed ‘yes’. When asked if any of them had struggled with body image issues themselves, about ten answers were affirmative. A majority of them think that it was not them that first started questioning their body image, but it was the people around them that made them do so. Some believe that the reason for their body image issues was because of social media and the unrealistically high standards it sets on teenagers to look a certain way, and it would be a lie to say I disagree.
Too skinny, too fat, too scrawny, too tall, too short, too dark, too fair are ideas that are constantly fed to us via advertisements that want to help “fix” these so-called “problems.” They end up making us question ourselves and making us feel unhappy in our own skin. We can’t help but wonder:
“Maybe if I weighed three kilograms less or maybe if I were two inches taller or maybe if I was number 1 on the shade card, would I be perfect?” But the fact remains that even if we looked the way we believe is ideal, we would not feel perfect and there would always be someone to tell us that we are not good enough.
This leads me to the question- how does one deal with constantly feeling sub-par when it comes to your body? What do you do about it? Saying “love yourself as you are” would be the easy answer but it is easier said than done; and saying “looks don’t matter” would be a lie. Loving yourself down to every last imperfection, though fiercely empowering, would be extremely difficult. So start small-appreciate your body for keeping you healthy and alive, and try not to be harsh towards your body for being imperfect (as we all are). Learn to take care of your body not only to look fantastic but to feel fit and healthy. Nourish it with positive affirmations. You can’t go from disliking to loving your body overnight, so at least make the effort to not wage a war on your body for being imperfect and I promise you, you will get there!
Urja is a fun-loving, energetic teen with a passion for writing and believes in having healthy discussions about various topics to gather perspectives. She wrote her very first poem in the fifth grade and has been writing poems and articles ever since. She also loves to read books and watch films and give her critical analysis on each scene, thanks to her English teachers. She landed the opportunity to write for UpTurn, which she thoroughly enjoys. She can’t wait to see what else comes her way in her literary journey.
