Why Is a Woman’s Body Always in Question?

From the very first steps as a little girl, filled with fire and fury, society has always chosen to put a woman’s body into the mix to dull our ambition. Whether it’s setting high standards, forcing little girls to think “ I’m not pretty enough” or “I need to get on a diet” or even something as simple as advertising “skinny” girls to fit the norm on Instagram while the girls who’s thighs jiggle a little bit as they run hide away. Why is it that what’s personal can become public opinion? While men in fancy suits meet in big office buildings to make laws about a body they don’t have, women are forced to sit prim and proper as their rights to legal abortions are taken away. 

I remember that I have always been a chubby kid, before going to school every day my mom would pinch my plump cheeks before sending me on my way. In gym class, at the beginning of the year, we would all take our shoes off and line up in front of the scale-some dreading the moment that was soon to arrive. The thin girls would always line up first, boasting about their BMI and body proportions to the class, as the girls with plump cheeks would shy away. From such a young age these ideals have been upholstered into our youth and it continues to get worse. “You eat a lot for a girl”, “Have you heard about fasting?” , “You look like a balloon”- all of these phrases are tearing us down; young girls around the world are facing body image issues and can't begin to love themselves because of the unreal expectations we have set for ourselves. 

With menstruation, body image, reproductive health and rights, leadership, and eating disorders, we as women are more divided than ever. So instead of commenting on how your friend has gained weight, show her some love. Being born a woman does not mean you have less liberty, it means you have a shrine, not a trash bin. No matter what size, color, or sexuality, you are born beautiful and the greatest tragedy is being convinced we are not.