“Perfect” does NOT exist
Do you ever catch yourself calling someone “fat” or “too skinny?” Do you ever catch yourself calling YOURSELF “fat” or “too skinny?” I do, all the time!
We have to ask ourselves, who are we to define what “fat” or “too skinny” looks like? We have this image of what “normal” is supposed to look like and judge people based on that image. If we take a step back and realize that WE — yes we — are the ones putting a meaning to the word “normal,” we would not feel the need to judge and criticize people, or ourselves.
We look at magazines that portray the “perfect” body and aim to one day attain the same body as those women on the cover of magazines, without realizing that those bodies are unrealistic. Magazines advertise certain products that claim will make us look just like those perfect women. We are so naive and value the magazines’ opinions so highly, that we go out and buy those products in hopes of transforming our bodies into a desirable one. The problem with this is that we are chasing something that does NOT exist! So why do we do this to ourselves???
This video is an example of how companies use Photoshop in order to shape a woman’s face that eventually ends up on a billboard. It does not take a rocket scientist to realize that the woman in this video is clearly not the same person as the one on the billboard. We see how the face has been contoured, the neck has been elongated, and the eyes and lips have been enlarged. All this is not attainable by simply buying the product they are promoting. While this video only shows the embellishment, if you may, of the face, there are many more videos that show the embellishment of an entire body. Instead of encouraging women to reach unreachable standards, companies should encourage self-acceptance.
Celebrities such as Zendaya are standing up for what they believe in, and we should too!
Zendaya took this set of pictures from a magazine photo shoot to Instagram after realizing that her torso and hips had been manipulated. She made sure to point out that the untouched photo (top) was the real one, and even got the magazine to pull down the photo shopped one (bottom).
She stated, “These are the things that make women self conscious, that create the unrealistic ideals of beauty that we have,” according to E! News.
Well said Zendaya, well said.
It is very important for us to understand that there is no such thing as a perfect body. We are the ones that glamorize these fabricated bodies and judge others and ourselves if we look slightly different. Instead of trying to attain a “normal” or “perfect” body, we all need to accept that all body shapes and sizes are natural, and not an abomination.
