I have some things to say. Stay with me and hear me out. This will be a long one! It's worth it, I promise.
I'm a lover of Pinterest and lately I keep stumbling across photos of women with captions that offend me. EVERY BODY IS BEAUTIFUL. We need to stop focusing on being 'skinny or thin' or being 'curvy and big'. Saying "This is what a real woman looks like"? It is the worst thing to see. It makes my skin crawl! What about those who are thin and can't help it, but deeply wish they could have curves? And we all know the vice versa.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. STOP perpetuating this battle! We're pitting women against women! Can't you see that? It's so stupid! We need to stop swinging this body-beauty pendulum so far to either side and allow it to stay in the middle WHERE WE ALL ARE BEAUTIFUL AS WE ARE. What if we were to never be able to change? What if God had made bodies to stay as they are besides aging? I can tell you truthfully, we all would not be 'skinny'. We all wouldn't be 'obese' either. We would just be US; however that looks. Would you finally be able to accept yourself having the option to change taken away from you? Eventually, I think we would answer yes. And if yes, why can you not do it now?
I'm not saying I don't suffer from body envy or wanting change. I certainly do! I am willing to do something about it healthily, though, by working with my body, mind, and heart. But I do not do it to be a certain beauty that media says I must be or I'm worthless and unworthy of love. I do it for husband and myself.
I say my husband because personally I believe it respectful to look good for him. And in this world of intense over sexualization I want his eyes on ME! He honestly doesn't want me to change anything about myself and has never asked me to. But there is something to be said that when I feel attractive and good about who I am my confidence drives my husband crazy. I like that. I'm going to keep finding ways to be confident as long as we live.
I pray that you all can hear this calling on your hearts to stop caring about what this mysterious 'everyone' says about beauty and realize it is not everyone. It's some who are wrong and it's also YOU who has been brainwashed. I feel our generation has a real power to actually break this swinging pendulum and stop it in the middle; where there is self love and peace about how we are physically. Let's end this battle with victory.
I don't always change captions on Pinterest. Hey, we all get lazy. Just say what the person before said, even if we haven't tried this amazing new product that's $600 that we say we love. But when I see an outfit I like, regardless of what the model looks like, I pin it. But I read what that caption says and I remove that label of 'plus size' or 'skinny this'. It doesn't matter to me. I don't care. I don't see it. What I do see a beautiful woman being confident and rocking that high waisted skirt with those rockin heels that I want to buy right now!
Thanks for reading and I hope you honestly make the choice to take a stand and choose to think differently about yourself and other women. Fellas, we need you too. We need you to show ladies and other gents that size doesn't matter. Stand bravely to be the one who refuses to objectify a girl you don't even know. A girl whose story could tear you apart, yet people brush it off to create reason to hate or envy her. Or even those you do know. We all need to have courage to be the leaders and oppose the pressure to bring people down, even if that makes us uncool with our friends or anyone! Because some day that prince or princess who is your true love could be battling the most impossible and persistent of dragons to defeat. And yes, it will break your heart. (But don't be afraid, fight beside them. The battle is worth it and can truly be won!)
I wish you every happiness on this journey and pray you can see through those glasses that were put on you all those years ago. They've never been cleaned, been continually smeared and gunkified. Plus, you were never told you could always take them off.
Well, you can. And if you're not ready yet, just start cleaning. You'll get there.
I promise.<3>
