Welcome back lovelies. So it’s that time of year again where we get bombarded with all the new and interesting ways to lose weight quickly, in order to be ‘beach body ready’. But do we really need to punish ourselves year in year out for not looking like celebs in magazines? Heck to the no!
It’s approaching summer and it’s hotting up, this means that we like to shed our winter jumpers and opt for swimsuit and head to the beach to stay cool. For those who aren’t entirely comfortable with showing more skin, because they don’t adhere to ideal beauty standards, it can be really hard.
The woman’s UK average dress size is a size 16, according to the Mirror, a size that isn’t considered as the beauty ideal. Instead, those who resemble a size 16 are often shamed for looking that way. Celebrities like Josie Gibson, Kelly Clarkson and even the queen Ashely Graham have all been subjected to fat shaming for being something other than a size zero.
You often see articles in magazines where journalists shame celebs and promote unhealthy fad diets that encourage women to lose weight quickly. This promotes the pursuit of the unattainable beauty standards (due to them forever changing). It also sends the message that it’s okay to fat shame and it’s not. Its no wonder that so many people end up with eating disorders. Because since when did talking about a woman’s weight become such a commonality?
Often a fat body is the representation of an unhealthy body, when a plus size body might be capable of running a marathon quicker than a skinny body. I saw a post on Instagram this week (I can’t remember where from I’m sorry) that resonated with me, it was a repost from a Twitter account, where a non-plus sized person had disclaimed that they drank, did drugs, didn’t exercise and didn’t eat well, but because they weren’t fat, they were pictured as healthy, and that if they were fat, would be shamed for doing these things.
I’m certainly not promoting an unhealthy lifestyle because I believe exercise can be a form of self-love and a release of anger or emotion. I’m simply saying the pressure on women especially young impressionable women to look a certain way is just too much.
I think people often forget that mental health is important too and for those who feel they will never amount to anything because they will never be a size zero, need to realise their own worth. Instead, start doing things that are good for your mental health, like self-care. It doesn’t always mean going to the gym or going shoe shopping or getting your hair done, it can mean doing your laundry and feeling like you’ve accomplished something. Because, when a decision is made to do something under mental strain, like trying to lose weight because of fat shaming, its one that is less likely to be a lasting one because it hasn’t come from a good place.
Instead start cherishing your body and what it’s capable of and talk to yourself as you would a loved one, a friend, or a daughter, stop punishing yourself. It’s not always easy, don’t get me wrong, for me it’s still a journey, but stop beating yourself up because regardless of what the media dictates, you are beautiful and your body is amazing including its dimples, cellulite or stretch marks.
Cherish your capabilities and go out there, put on a bikini and go to the beach because EVERYbody is a bikini body.
Chloe Peach 