Bodies, we all have one. Some are short, some are tall, some are big, and some are small. It's that time of the year again, it's summer. While summer is often seen as an enjoyable time for most people, many girls view it as "bikini season". Usually, I never really thought anything of the term "bikini season" until I realize the detrimental effects it can have on our overall well-beings. A couple weeks ago, I decided to attend a pool party. Like most social events, my inner Holden Caulfield was dreading to go, knowing that I was gonna end up alone in the end. However, I was especially dreading this very party because it was a pool party and deep down inside of me, I was ashamed of the way I look. Fast forward to the party, I got pushed inside of the pool with my clothes on. Underneath my clothes, I was wearing a new two piece swimsuit that I had just purchased from Hollister. I kept asking myself in my mind: do I take off my clothes and just swim in my swim suit as one would normally do or should I play it safe? What did I do? I played it "safe", of course. Later that night, I reflected on my decision and kept asking myself why. I came to the conclusion that we are the culprits. Not you and I individually, but our society as a whole. With the media all around us, we were brought up with a certain perception of what a body should look like. I am not talking about just a female's body, but a male's body as well. Due to the media, women were given the unrealistic expectation that their body should have a flat stomach, curves, a thigh gap, a full set of breasts, and an immense buttocks. Whereas men are often expected to be tall, slender, and have a six pack of abs. My point is that the media has given us the mindsets that we have in this day and age. The main reason why a majority of us lack body confidence is due to the fact that we fail to meet society's expectations of what we are supposed to look like, which in my opinion, is such bullshit. Going to the gym and eating right for healthful reasons and wanting to look and feel your best is good, but what's not good is secluding yourself from going to the beach just because you don't have "the body" to don a two-piece. A couple months ago, I was featured in a small article on body insecurities on Seventeen Magazine's website which you can read here: http://www.seventeen.com/health/news/a45729/girls-get-real-about-their-body-image-insecurities/ . One thing I noticed in the article, was that we all talked about our insecurities in a positive light, which is something I think all of us should do. Overtime I have come to realize that every body is different and that there is no such thing as the "perfect body". As for insecurities, we all have them. In the Seventeen article, it was noted that my biggest insecurity were my thighs. Because it is summer and I live in Southern California, I started wearing shorts and the more I wore them, the more comfortable I became in my own skin. Look, I am not all that confident and I would be lying if I said I was, but I have come to realize that one of the many keys to gaining confidence is to embrace your insecurities. At the end of the day, we should love our bodies for what they are and stop comparing ourselves to others. In the end, we must realize that we will be judged based on our character, morals, and values and NOT our physical appearance!
With lots of love,
Kylee
With lots of love,
Kylee