The Scrutiny of Size

In today's society, there is so much taboo over size, and what is the "perfect size". Body image and size is undoubtedly on every teenagers' or young adults' mind. In the good ol' days (like the 90's and before) robust women were "in". Every women coveted Marilyn Monroe's curvaceous and voluptuous body. Nowadays, every teen wants the body of a Brandy Melville model; a stick figure frame and a mythical thigh gap.

The media has always advertised stick figures. In clothing magazines, all the women are uber thin, and the men all have bodies that are chiseled by the gods. On the runways, all the sleek models strut their tall and thin bodies. Recently, there has been a growing trend in plus size models, and "fativists". This is where a lot of drama and taboo plays in. Many people complain that the use of plus size models is normalizing obesity, and due to "fativists" putting down skinny people to help bigger women gain body confidence, skinny shaming/hating came to life. There is just constant back and forth bickering between the bigger and smaller community on what the media should support.

My personal opinion is this: Whereas society should not constantly spew pictures of super thin women that might push girls into anorexia, we also should not shift to the other end of the spectrum and normalize obesity. I believe that society should endorse a healthy body. I don't think a healthy body is defined by a clothing size, waist measurement, but rather defined by your lifestyle.

So, what is the perfect body size?

I think that the answer to this question is just a matter of personal opinion. Some people think that the perfect body is a supermodel-esque body, some think that it is an hourglass shape, and some people think that the perfect body is a size 14. Some people are born very thin, and are made fun of that. Likewise, some people are born heavier and are bullied for their weight. I believe that you should do whatever with your body to make yourself confident. If you are larger and would feel more comfortable loosing a few pounds, by all means do so. If you are larger and feel confident at your size, you don't have to change. The same goes for thinner people.

Remember, whether you are overweight or underweight or anywhere in between, be confident in your body and don't let anyone put you down due to your size. Do what makes you confident, and do what makes you feel healthy.

And the thing is, no matter what your size, everyone is a little self conscious. Stop fighting and realize that everyone is trying to battle the same thing.