Chronicles of the perfect body
Christine
Okay on this I am not one to say but what is this sudden idealism in our generation to look, speak and act a certain way so as to get “accepted” and validated? Who is doing this acceptance and when has society validation given life long happiness to anyone? Why the sudden urge to be portrayed a certain way not for yourself even but for the benefit of others?
To be honest it saddens me a little that even I sometimes subscribe to the stereotypical propaganda of having a certain body shape to feel better about oneself, viewing people just a little thicker as having let themselves go (like who even cares?) or even uncaring about who they are. I begin to ask myself the timelines at which these thoughts started creeping in. Is it the too much Instagram I am consuming lately, or maybe the condescending “you’ve gained so much weight” exclamations I got a while back after I gained a couple more pounds than usual, like as if I’d acquired one of the 7 deadly diseases!
I am all for perfection, trust me, but as long as it’s ones idea of bettering oneself. However, a few do it solely for that purpose. I am not sure who in the world sold us on the idea of skinny/muscular being the new good enough. I have to admit, I had been consistently working out for a while (focus on consistency), so that I get to lose the weight due to societal pressure (“and get fit”, or so I tell myself) so I am not exactly one to advocate for do you, be you, but here I am.
I believe good enough starts as a thought process, an intentional daily mantra, saying you are worth it regardless of what you feel or even your appearance, be it dark, light, curvy, skinny, introverted or just a little bit extra, as long as your heart is in a happy place then I say you win! Because everything can come under attack but if your mind is trained right, if you love who you are and appreciate your process, then you are goals! While I am at it, I also just want to add, can we please be a little kinder, both to ourselves and others. We all get to be versions of perfect and that’s okay, please don’t conform, stand out, be you (whoever that is, and it’s okay for it to change). Oh and don’t underestimate the power of a good everyday mantra.
Yours truly,
A work in progress.
AfroCocktail 