The Perfect Body

What is the perfect body? Is it a body that is toned, slim and tanned? Is it a body with a tiny waist, big boobs and a bubble butt?

I personally think the perfect body is whatever your body looks like when you feel the most comfortable in yourself, whether that be at size 6 or 20.

Throughout history society has had different opinions about what is considered to be beautiful. In the 1950’s a fuller figure, such as that of Marilyn Monroe was the definition of beauty, but within the last decade or so, our idea of beauty has become more and more warped with the creation of photoshop. Beauty is no longer real.

From a young age we are brought up to see these gorgeous women in the glossy magazines, and we think we will grow up to look just like them and that is where our disappointment stems from. But the truth is, not even those women look that perfect! When did it become undesirable to be a woman. When did it suddenly become normal for women to be under attack about their stretch marks, love handles and lack of thigh gap. I spent half of my high school career desperately trying to get a thigh gap, it was the thing you had to have to be beautiful but, not all bodies are built to have that gap!

I never really planned to share my body image story, especially this early on in my blogging career, but since it is body positivity week, I felt it was only right to tell my story.

I have always been average. I was never fat, but by the same token I have never been super slim. I never really had to work particularly hard to maintain my weight, I exercised every now and again (mainly on the Nintendo wii) and I generally ate whatever I wanted. But everything changed when I went away to University. Everything started off fine, I was eating very well and walking around the city kept me pretty fit. There was only one problem, I hated the taste of the water in the city, it was vile. So I didn’t drink it and stuck to things like tea and hot chocolate; but as the weather grew warmer I stopped drinking hot drinks and starting drinking milkshakes like my life depended on it.

When I came home for the summer, I felt huge, bloated and just uncomfortable, but that was most likely because I had gained nearly a stone in weight.

I felt gross and I was very unhappy with myself; I knew something had to change. So I cut down on what I was eating, not to the point that I was starving myself but just so that I wasn’t eating through summer break boredom. I started walking my dogs daily and my sister and I started running and hiking. Most importantly I cut out milk from my life (although I later found out the damage was done, I am now lactose intolerant.) I refused to let my life become all about loosing weight, which is why I didn’t join the gym. I simply became more active with my family and enjoyed my summer, even wearing a bikini on my holiday to Turkey for my 21st birthday.

When the summer was over and I was set to travel back to the city to start the new school year, I had lost a stone in weight and I felt so proud of myself. I wasn’t size 6, but I was me again! I will never be a size 6, I will never have a six pack and that thigh gap. But that’s ok.

I am 9 Stone 3 Pounds. I wear clothes between size 8 and 10. My tummy isn’t completely flat and toned, I have love handles, my arms have NO muscle, my legs wobble when I walk.

BUT!

My body had taken me through hard times. It has survived a spinal injury, it fights severe nerve damage every day. Despite my arms and legs going numb and spiking with pain at random moments, it has never let me fall, it has always got back up again even when my mind was telling me I couldn’t.

I AM PROUD OF MY BODY! I LOVE MY BODY!

My message to pass on this week is not to let your weight or the size of your waist define you. You’re body is not an art piece to be looked at and judged, it is a vehicle for you to live your life, to see and experience this world while we are here. Life is to short to worry constantly about not looking like those women in the magazines. You are perfect when you are you!

Let your body hold the scars, the marks, the imperfection. They are proof that you have lived.

Be a rebel. Love yourself.

Ay x