Body Image

Body image.  Am I right??  I’m going to open up and be very honest about myself, because I think maybe someone will read this and be able to relate.
Unfortunately, society places a ton of overwhelming pressure on women to take up as little space in the world as possible.  We have to be thin, but not too thin.  Tan, but not too tan.  Have big boobs, but not too big and they can’t sag.  Long legs, but we have to be shorter than our boyfriends because their egos are fragile.  Nice butts, but not thick thighs.  It’s honestly hard to even keep up.
I am a college student.  I am about 5’9″ and I weigh more than most of my friends.  And it is so hard.  I work out and I have a little bit of muscle, but I have not lost any weight.  I’ve only gained it.  Summer is a super hard time of the year for me.  I view myself as paler than average, as well as not having the best “bikini bod”.  Going to the beach is not always fun, especially when I have days that I’m not feeling my best.

Pictured above is me and my boyfriend, Shane.  We go to the gym together, and spend as much time together as we can when we’re both home.  I want this picture to show you something: average girls (and I think that I’m pretty average, but don’t be offended if you disagree) feel bad about themselves sometimes too, and it is 100% okay.  What isn’t okay is telling them that they have no reason to feel bad and that they should be thankful that they look the way they do and that you would kill to look like them.
I’m an adventurous and pretty athletic girl.  I played field hockey all throughout middle and high school, but stopped after graduation to focus on school.  I run and weight train.  I even eat a “mostly health food” diet because I want to treat my body properly (but let’s face it, Ben& Jerry’s speaks to everyone).  However, I still gain weight.  And you know what?  That’s okay.  Because I may never weigh less than 140 pounds again, and it’s something that is probably natural (and I shouldn’t be depriving myself of Ben& Jerry’s just because I don’t weigh 140).
I think that we need to remember, as women, and as human beings, everyone’s body is different.  I am trying very hard to remember that every day, and trying to learn how to love my body the way that it is, because I know for a fact that other people don’t see me the way I do (just ask Shane).
Everyone has their insecurities, and everyone has their doubts, but we all need to work on loving ourselves.  It is absolutely going to be difficult, and it won’t happen overnight- I’m still trying- but we’d all be much happier.

My sister and I, looking fantasic.