In today's society girls constantly are under pressure to look and act a certain way. Girls "should" be ditzy, agreeable, and skinny with a thigh gap. Standing up against these stereotypes is nothing new. And while I agree that those particular stereotypes should be fought against, I would like to also take a stand for the girls who are told that being a size zero and having a thigh gap is something they should be against or ashamed of because it means they must have a problem. I have always been naturally thin - I have a very fast metabolism and have always been active in sports. I have recently seen campaigns that have slogans such as "Zero is not a size." Well I am not afraid to say that for a large portion of my life zero was my size. And there is nothing wrong with that.
I am also genetically inclined towards having a thigh gap.
I am naturally thin and I am bow-legged. As you can see in the above picture my feet are clearly together and it is obvious that my thighs are no where near touching. I have heard so many people saying things like having a thigh gap is disgusting. To me that is no worse than telling a larger person that their larger thighs are disgusting. I recently saw a video on youtube that perfectly complements this post. Go and watch that video by Zoella and Sprinkle of Glitter here.
I think instead if we simply encouraged women to be healthy, the world would be a much better place. Healthy can mean different things for different people and that is what beauty is. Beauty is different on everyone. No one should be forced to fit a mold - or made to feel bad for happening to fit that mold.
I was constantly under weight and at one point was having problems with passing out because of my weight. I was lucky enough to never suffer any kind of eating disorder. I was just a collegiate athlete and possessed a fast metabolism. However, I decided to take steps to make myself healthy. I went to a doctor and was prescribed medicine that was designed to make me gain weight. Since then I have put on enough weight that I am now in a healthy weight range.
Don't be ashamed of who you are - thin, large or somewhere in the middle. Instead of focusing on looking a certain way, focus on feeling a certain way. Focus on feeling good about yourself and work to improve your health! Be healthy. Not skinny.
Lots of love,
Malena
No comments:
Post a Comment