What Is A Healthy Body Image?
I’m really diving head first into this topic. This can be very, very controversial. How a healthy body image can be defined can depend on many factors including upbringing or age. In my lifetime I’ve seen this definition change drastically. I’m taking the point of view that as of now, acceptance and how a healthy body image is defined has changed for the better and here’s why.
The Low Rise Jean Era
When I grew up in my teen years it was the early 2000s when being super skinny amidst the era of low rise jeans, layered tank tops, capris, crop tops, and more were all the rage. It was the norm to skip meals, count calories, and drink copious amounts of diet coke. If you were bigger than a size 0 it felt like you were considered overweight and not attractive. This thought process was 100% toxic. Even as a ballet dancer I felt the pressure every day I walked into high school. There was always another girl who was skinnier wearing a more fashionable outfit. What was seen as attractive physically was completely unhealthy mentally.
The Body Positivity Movement
In my early 20s the body positivity movement became popular, mainstream, and widely accepted. There were now multiple definitions of what it meant to be healthy. A big point of this movement was about inclusivity not being unpopular because you looked different. Those differences were now meant to be celebrated.
It was great to work with women who were part of this moment including Jessamy Stanely, who originally started by breaking the mold in the yoga world. No matter your size yoga is for everyone to try. I was also lucky enough to interview Iskra Lawrence who broke down so many boundaries and stereotypes of who can model and what is beautiful. Aerie, the underwear brand, did a campaign in 2016 focusing on the importance of “untouched” photographs and promoting #AerieReal.
For me personally, while this was a huge step forward I feel like in professional settings and my life in NYC things were still very unchanged. People’s actions didn’t necessarily reflect these new ideas and points of views. To get into a club in NYC the bouncer still looked at what you were wearing and how you looked in it. The “jokes” people would tell about women and weight didn’t stop.
I’ll Buy Myself Flowers
Now it’s 2024 and I finally feel like what was the body positivity movement has shifted even further into a women’s empowerment movement. Finally, everything we do is being recognized and there are more and more people, men and women, getting behind this movement, and I’m here for it.
I feel like for many generations, Miley’s famous song “Flowers” is a great anthem for this movement as of late. I mean why do you need a man (or any significant other) when “I can buy myself flowers”. This sentiment can be seen across many song releases of the past several years including Ava Max’s “Kings & Queens” or GAYLE “abcdefu”. While I grew up singing along to The Chicks “Goodbye Earl” and Carrier Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” I am here for the recognition women finally deserve becoming the new norm and mainstream..
All this has been leading up to women in the United States supporting the 4b movement in South Korea. In addition, on June 24, 2024 women in the US are following the example of many other countries and plan on striking to show the importance of what we do and the value we bring to the economy and country.
Love Yourself
However, whether you want to support 4b or the strike, that is your own personal choice, but I would say that these movements are still supporting the overall change in a healthy body image. I’d say whether you are skinny, curvy, bald, feminine, masculine, whatever you are comfortable with is a healthy body image. If you are confident in your skin, that is what is important. Personally, one anthem I still love to this day and always will is Hailee Steinfeld’s “Love Yourself”. Take a few minutes to yourself and enjoy!
