I compare my body to the bodies of Victoria’s Secret models, celebrities, and other famed women with unnaturally toned stomachs, curvy hips with protruding bones, and toothpick-thin arms and legs. Doesn’t everybody? Those are the women I’m supposed to look like, right?
That’s what society persuades me and basically every other woman to believe anyway. The media sets unrealistic standards defining the “ideal” body, or the body that modeling agencies like Victoria’s Secret present as attractive and socially acceptable.
Marilyn Monroe, America’s sex symbol in the 50’s, was a size 14 and would probably be considered overweight next to today’s size-two models. At some point in the 50's, for whatever reason, curvaceous bodies went out and ultra-thin bodies were in, beginning a diet and exercise revolution, and introducing society's new beauty icon, skinny supermodel Twiggy Lawson, in the 60's. .
No wonder so many women suffer from health disorders. It’s almost impossible and unnatural for most women to live up to this standard. And I don't mean to say that Twiggy suffered from a health disorder. I know many women are born with a naturally thinner bone structure. But, for those who aren't, there's too much pressure to go to extremes to look like a toothpick when you're meant to look like an hourglass.
What’s really unsettling is that Victoria’s Secret has the power to change the status quo for women’s bodies yet chooses not to. It's not just a clothing company; it’s an advertisement for women’s bodies and a role model for many. If shapely, healthy-looking models were chosen to promote its brand, it could revolutionize how women see their bodies and how the rest of society regards women instead of contributing to mental and physical rehabilitation due to unreasonable social standards.
Can you really live with that on your conscience Victoria’s Secret?
I embrace my imperfections because they’re what make me different from everyone else. My opinion of myself is the only one that matters . I might be built similarly to others but I don’t strive to look like anyone else. I have my own identity.
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