Standards of beauty

As empowered women we often talk about how to change the shift from thinking of rail thin women as the standard of beauty to those that have some meat on them. We press for plus sized models, or any variety of “larger” women in the media, for that matter. We want our female children have a more renaissance-type view of women’s beauty.

Why?

What is with our fascination with the size of a person? A shift from a perspective of thin as beautiful to one that encompasses larger women is one that will not produce a generation of females that have self-love for their body. Over and over again I see women work hard to lose weight to get to an “appropriate” size only to continue to hate their bodies. Now that they are down to their “ideal” weight, they notice how their hips are too small, their tummy not quite flat enough, their legs are too short, arms too muscular, take your pick.

Instead, I advocate for the women who, rather than trying to lose or gain weight, have no goals but their own health. How about being able to jog around the block and not get winded? How about having smooth digestive processes, how about being able to do 25 push ups, or boundless mental and physical energy to complete the days tasks? Contentment and emotional clarity. When a woman can appreciate the things that her body does for her, and appreciate that her body is an indispensable tool that serves her very well, it isn’t hard to find that love that we all seek.

Find something you love about your body and next time you are in a group of women who are complaining about their bodies, say something positive. If you can’t find anything purely physical (yet!) think of something you are really happy that your body helps you complete and fully appreciate that body part and what it can do. It’s amazing, isn’t it?