Body insecurity... a thing of the past?
Amelia Lorrimore discusses the change in attitudes over body image since the beginning of this year, analysing the impact of social media and influencers.
Insecurities are something that have existed since the dawn of time. Why? Because no matter how ‘perfect’ other people think someone is, as members of the human race, we will always have attributes that we wish we could change about ourselves, meaning even people who meet the stereotypical beauty standards of the twenty-first century are still unlikely to feel completely happy within themselves. However, the sweeping social media movement - started by Mik Zazon about a year ago - ‘#normalizenormalbodies’ has skyrocketed to popularity during the isolating weeks of lockdown, when undoubtedly people of all genders, races, ages and sexualities experienced low self-esteem as the economic situations and mental states of everyone was at risk.
This inspiring movement has led to a growing acceptance of every body type and the world-wide realisation that even if everyone ate the exact same thing and did the same amount of exercise we would still all look completely different, and that’s OKAY. It has sparked a series of beautiful images and videos - showcasing women and men alike embracing their insecurities and loving their body the way it was given to them - which transformed social media (however briefly) into a platform for accepting, inspiring, loving and supporting people from all walks of life, no matter their body type.
Mik Zazon’s inspiring words, “I want women to know that if you don't fall into the plus-size, athletic, or straight-sized categories, you deserve to be a part of the body-positivity movement, too”, shed light on an entire group of women who seem to be overlooked as they don’t fit into either the ‘plus-size’ category, or the ‘petite’ category - those who have since been identified as ‘mid-size women’. Since the movement started last year, there has been a surge in social media accounts dedicated to ‘mid-size’ women and needless to say there seems to have been a huge increase in the acceptance of stomach rolls, cellulite, and the celebration of these attributes that are considered ‘undesirable’ by unrealistic and treacherous beauty standards.
Personally, I fall into the ‘mid-size’ category and I can attest to the positive effect that this movement is having. After seeing so many women with the same body shape as me - not being skinny enough in certain areas to be ‘petite’, but not big enough in others to be ‘plus-size’ - I began to feel so much more confident in my image: I could embrace the rolls that erupted over my jeans when I sat down, and wear crop tops without worrying about them rolling up over the top of my stomach and looking ‘thrumpy’. But, most importantly, I finally realised my body was ‘normal’ and I wasn’t going to have the body of the Instagram models that I was following, because it wasn’t and isn’t possible for the body type that I have. Better still, it's improved my eating habits - I'm not counting my calories as much as I used to - I'm eating three meals a day and snacking when I feel hungry. Being healthy isn't about eating less, it is about eating right.
Another thing that has been frequently addressed by the movement and Mik Zazon herself is the matter of fitness. Stressing the importance of having fun while working out and not doing it merely for the purpose of working off what you ate the night before, Zazon suggests dancing, listening to music and being free with your movement when working out. This idea that working out is about giving back to your body and improving your health is all that should matter when you decide to workout, not the idea that you should workout just to have a ‘desirable’ body! This part of the movement has stuck with me most during the last few months in lockdown as I have come to find happiness in working-out, where I used to find pain. And, the best part of it all is that I haven’t changed the exercises I do. I have changed the way that I think of exercise: my old pre-workout thoughts went something like, “gotta work-off that meal, gotta get rid of my belly”, which drastically juxtaposes my present day pre-workout thoughts like, “I can’t wait to feel the burn as I lift my new personal best on my dumbbells”. The key, I’ve found, is searching for improvement and trying my very best to always work hard for myself and for my health, not only physical but mental. Let’s not forget… you always feel so much better after a workout, because: endorphins!!! But, that is just my personal experience, and whereas lifting weights and doing cardio works for me, dancing, swimming, or even just getting off your couch, or out of bed could work for you.
So, the thing we should all take from this inspiring movement is that no body type is the ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ body type. We are all unique and that isn’t a bad thing! The next time that you see any of those fraudulent ads for ‘Sarah’s discovery’ on Instagram or Facebook just scroll past! You don’t need to lose weight to be beautiful, and, if you do want to lose weight, do it in a healthy way which will improve your physical and mental health, simultaneously - there is NO need for apple cider vinegar! After all, there is nothing wrong with any body size, as long as you’re being healthy and you’re being happy - that’s all that matters.
By Amelia Lorrimore, Year 13
Insecurities are something that have existed since the dawn of time. Why? Because no matter how ‘perfect’ other people think someone is, as members of the human race, we will always have attributes that we wish we could change about ourselves, meaning even people who meet the stereotypical beauty standards of the twenty-first century are still unlikely to feel completely happy within themselves. However, the sweeping social media movement - started by Mik Zazon about a year ago - ‘#normalizenormalbodies’ has skyrocketed to popularity during the isolating weeks of lockdown, when undoubtedly people of all genders, races, ages and sexualities experienced low self-esteem as the economic situations and mental states of everyone was at risk.
This inspiring movement has led to a growing acceptance of every body type and the world-wide realisation that even if everyone ate the exact same thing and did the same amount of exercise we would still all look completely different, and that’s OKAY. It has sparked a series of beautiful images and videos - showcasing women and men alike embracing their insecurities and loving their body the way it was given to them - which transformed social media (however briefly) into a platform for accepting, inspiring, loving and supporting people from all walks of life, no matter their body type.
Mik Zazon’s inspiring words, “I want women to know that if you don't fall into the plus-size, athletic, or straight-sized categories, you deserve to be a part of the body-positivity movement, too”, shed light on an entire group of women who seem to be overlooked as they don’t fit into either the ‘plus-size’ category, or the ‘petite’ category - those who have since been identified as ‘mid-size women’. Since the movement started last year, there has been a surge in social media accounts dedicated to ‘mid-size’ women and needless to say there seems to have been a huge increase in the acceptance of stomach rolls, cellulite, and the celebration of these attributes that are considered ‘undesirable’ by unrealistic and treacherous beauty standards.
Personally, I fall into the ‘mid-size’ category and I can attest to the positive effect that this movement is having. After seeing so many women with the same body shape as me - not being skinny enough in certain areas to be ‘petite’, but not big enough in others to be ‘plus-size’ - I began to feel so much more confident in my image: I could embrace the rolls that erupted over my jeans when I sat down, and wear crop tops without worrying about them rolling up over the top of my stomach and looking ‘thrumpy’. But, most importantly, I finally realised my body was ‘normal’ and I wasn’t going to have the body of the Instagram models that I was following, because it wasn’t and isn’t possible for the body type that I have. Better still, it's improved my eating habits - I'm not counting my calories as much as I used to - I'm eating three meals a day and snacking when I feel hungry. Being healthy isn't about eating less, it is about eating right.
Another thing that has been frequently addressed by the movement and Mik Zazon herself is the matter of fitness. Stressing the importance of having fun while working out and not doing it merely for the purpose of working off what you ate the night before, Zazon suggests dancing, listening to music and being free with your movement when working out. This idea that working out is about giving back to your body and improving your health is all that should matter when you decide to workout, not the idea that you should workout just to have a ‘desirable’ body! This part of the movement has stuck with me most during the last few months in lockdown as I have come to find happiness in working-out, where I used to find pain. And, the best part of it all is that I haven’t changed the exercises I do. I have changed the way that I think of exercise: my old pre-workout thoughts went something like, “gotta work-off that meal, gotta get rid of my belly”, which drastically juxtaposes my present day pre-workout thoughts like, “I can’t wait to feel the burn as I lift my new personal best on my dumbbells”. The key, I’ve found, is searching for improvement and trying my very best to always work hard for myself and for my health, not only physical but mental. Let’s not forget… you always feel so much better after a workout, because: endorphins!!! But, that is just my personal experience, and whereas lifting weights and doing cardio works for me, dancing, swimming, or even just getting off your couch, or out of bed could work for you.
So, the thing we should all take from this inspiring movement is that no body type is the ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ body type. We are all unique and that isn’t a bad thing! The next time that you see any of those fraudulent ads for ‘Sarah’s discovery’ on Instagram or Facebook just scroll past! You don’t need to lose weight to be beautiful, and, if you do want to lose weight, do it in a healthy way which will improve your physical and mental health, simultaneously - there is NO need for apple cider vinegar! After all, there is nothing wrong with any body size, as long as you’re being healthy and you’re being happy - that’s all that matters.
By Amelia Lorrimore, Year 13