My body but not my rules?
Women are taught to think that beauty and youth are life's primary principles and values. And the only way to be loved and happy is if you have both. You can try to convince me that things are changing, but deep down, it's the same old story of one step forward and two back.
We are born to be "fixed" and not to be. One is too thin. The other is too fat. Big boobs are good. Small boobs are bad. Eat less. Eat more. You are not drinking enough water. We are constantly trying to fit according to the season's hottest expectations imposed by society.
The media has been the biggest (and most damaging) impact on the way women think about themselves. In the USA, studies show that by age six, many girls start to express concerns about their weight or become too fat. — sad but true. Another study verifies that 70% of college women say they feel worse about their own looks after reading women's magazines. And approximately 91% of women are somehow unhappy with their bodies. Therefore, how is it possible to be liberated from all status quo of the expected perfectness? Well, it's not.
Men's bodies are far from complex compared to women's. Ours start to transform after the first period, and that's precisely why every woman's body differs from the other. Some will have normal hormones; others will have less. Some will bleed for six days; others will for four. If one hormone is unbalanced, it will reflect on the function of everything else. Nothing is certain. Everything is particular.
This quote from the book Breasts & Eggs by Mieko Kawakami sums up: "My monolithic expectation of what a woman's body was supposed to look like had no bearing on what actually happened to my body. The two things were wholly unrelated. I never became the woman I imagined. And what was I expecting?" And as you age, you learn to understand that.
I believe that the self-awareness of our bodies is something to be intensely worked on within you, and I've been doing my homework. Last year, my daily average numbers were 42 exercise minutes, 9.468 steps, and 614 active calories. According to WHO, these numbers put me in the category of a healthy active person. It was the most physically active year of my life. I was happy. But in real life, all I heard was that I was large.
In Sweden, the weather hides people's bodies due to winter clothes. But when I stepped foot in Brazil, as my clothes were "off," it didn't matter that I was stronger and healthier than ever, that my muscle mass was as high as a professional athlete. The only thing others noticed was that I was bigger, and soon, the comments started. Why do people still think they have the right to comment on someone else's body?
Phrases like clothes always look better when you are thinner; to lose weight, you just have to close your mouth; you shouldn't be missing the gym started to appear. Another friend who lives abroad said she heard: don't come back here if you haven't lost 10kg and you eat like a grown man — whatever that means. And let's not forget we were returning from a two-year pandemic; who didn't overeat?
Khloe Kardashian said recently in an interview: "I didn't think I was the fat sister until people would call me that. And I was like, 'Am I?' Like I just didn't really think of myself as being fat." — Nowadays, she goes to the gym 2x a day because she loves eating and doesn't want to be ashamed anymore.
In warmer countries, people are generally more obsessed with their bodies and beauty; fewer clothes mean more body exposure. And I noticed everyone more obsessed than ever, taking medicines not to feel hungry, to speed their metabolism, and crazy diets like it's surviving a day with a whole chocolate bar because it is all about your priorities. We are used to thinking of our body as a game, eating less, and spending more.
Women are frequently giving compliments, especially those regarding physical appearance, and are more likely to give and receive compliments based on this quality. Weight loss is often the default compliment because the best compliment is always: "omg, you lost weight” — And everyone can always eliminate two/three kilos, right? NO!! I feel the pressure right on me as I don't appear thinner; women have nothing to compliment me.
Body type is another trend women sadly fall into. I wasn't wrong about my observation that women were more obsessed with their bodies at the end of 2021 and the beginning of this year. At the beaches in Brazil, I could see the trends of "slim thick" or "BBL effect" were taken over by extreme thinness once again. To be stronger was so last season. Forget the muscle-building and strength training, and go back to the treadmill right now.
With KPOP and 90s low-rise style on the rise, this might be where the mainstream will look for the next new look. We all want to be somebody beyond ourselves, but trends are constantly changing and so are we. Why do we keep fueling this quest for perfection? It's endless and unrelenting. Why do we have to look the same? We must strengthen our minds and self-esteem as a whole, not only focus on aesthetics.
Mourning what your body used to be or is not, will not take you anywhere. I chose to stay in the present moment, love and acknowledge what my body can do now, and build it from here. And remember, it's no use in having permanent eyelash extensions and your body up to date if your head isn't. You must care for your mental health as much as you do about your appearance.
And I can stress enough, every body is different. Make peace with yours. Don't follow trends.
🟠 #INTERNETFINDS: weekly things worth sharing and consuming 🧠
We’re Going Somewhere Worse ➞ We are entering an era not just of unsafe abortions but of the widespread criminalization of pregnancy.
What happens when a plastic surgery trend dies? ➞ beauty standards have been evolving since the beginning of time, and celebrities have always been a source of body modification inspiration.
Favorite Podcast of The Week ➞ This interview reveals that you never know what someone is actually going through. About life, traumas, beauty, and being a woman.
The Body Trend Cycle ➞ It goes without saying that we shouldn't pay attention to these trends, but unfortunately, we are all participating members of society.
Kanye West - Stronger ➞ N-n-now that that don't kill me..Can only make me stronger
see you next Friday 😎
