ROCKING YOUR FLAWSOME

I hate what the mirror reflects.

Never can I say that there is a beam of light.

Deep down I am aware my love for self is insufficient.

I refuse to believe that I am worthy of it all.

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The simple yet effective act of developing a positive portrait of your body is what has been eloquently penciled as ‘Body Positivity’. It is the understanding that your value as a human is not defined by what you look like on the outside, while identifying your insecurities and putting your best foot forward to obliterate them. Body Positivity is an iceberg, the profound crevasses of which run much deeper than the visible/detectable surface. Over the years, certain features of the human body have been highlighted as ‘flaws’ by our own kind. The society has created beauty ideals that are highly unrealistic, which have further received promotion by advertisements trying to ‘sell a solution’. Completely normal physical characteristics like cellulite, stretch marks, scars and birthmarks have been regarded as undesirable or repulsive. Bringing these traits into limelight by calling them imperfections can create a negative body image in people’s minds, leading to eating disorders, mental illnesses and body dimorphic disorder. Superficial aspects of the human physique like acne and body weight have deep grounds of reasoning at times, like Anorexia, PCOS and certain hormonal disorders. Pointing them out can cause fixation of a person on altering their appearances by dieting or cosmetic surgery, due to the obsessive idea that some part of his/her body is severely erroneous. These ideologies of a ‘perfect body’ have been enforced by family dynamics, cultural expectations, biological traits and environmental causes, furthering mental drainage and diseases. However, it must be realized eventually that peace is thicker than blood. The hate-hate relationship with your body needs to come to an end for you to be more of your true self. The idea of liking your body after suffering from a lot of body image issues may seem quite difficult, but keeping in perspective that it cannot be harder than body shaming might be helpful. However, change doesn't happen overnight, a snap of fingers will not make you fall in love with your body, so granting the process considerable affirmation and time is very vital. With the advent of social media, body positivity is popping up more and more in our culture, with its emphasis on celebrating personal differences rather than aiming to fit into a homogenous aesthetic. Regular positive contemplation with yourself or having honest conversations with your well-wishers is the key. Support is something a person craves during his/her body positivity journey, so being a good listener should be our priority, providing them with a secure and uncritical surrounding to express freely. It, furthermore, needs to be understood that body positivity isn't anti-improvement or anti-change; working for the wellness of your bodies is encouraged, only not because of the wrong mentality we develop for our bodies and the physical appearance of others. Choosing fitness for the betterment of one’s body instead of hatred towards it because of the ideals imbibed by outsiders has always been a goal of the body positivity movement. Hence, the next time you workout, let the intention behind it be the love for your bodies and not the socially imposed ideals. Once you inculcate extensive positivity into your lifestyle, you will be able to measure your progress steadily. Your growth will be evident when you begin to acknowledge and appreciate the aforesaid verse in reverse chronology:

 

I am worthy of it all.

I refuse to believe that my love for self is insufficient.

Deep down I am aware there is a beam of light.

Never can I say that I hate what the mirror reflects