Beauty & Booty! Or Not!
Body image is something women all over the world, no matter what race or ethnicity, can come together and talk about for hours. I mean you either have too much or you don't have enough. You feel like you're too short or maybe you think you're too tall. The bottom line is, it's hard being a woman.
No thanks to television and magazines, where we see images on a daily basis of what we should look like but don't quite measure up to. Body fat is frowned upon and depending on your culture, big breasts or butts are a positive or negative. Let's not even talk about social media and all of the body shaming that happens there.
Being a black girl, my culture is one that is really accepting of thick girls, but skinny girls or fat girls are not always appreciated. Growing up the idea was embedded into my psychi that having a big booty was a yes but having a belly was a no. I never really cared about having big breasts, but I knew I should strive to be thick in life.
As little girls, sometimes what we are taught to think and feel about our bodies is the blueprint for low self-esteem and depression, and it's not that it's done on purpose; it's just something passed down from generation to generation.
We are taught that we can't wear certain things for various reasons. We are taught that it's our fault if unwanted attention finds us. We are taught to cover up and not dress like what our elders might classify as "sluts". Our shorts are too short, our skirts are too tight, and our shirts are cut too low. Like I said, it's hard being a woman. It's also confusing! On one hand being thick is a good thing and on the other, what we wear is cross examined more than a witness testifying in a courtroom.
Being an educator, I often see the struggles my female students face on a daily when it comes to how they see themselves. They work overtime to fit into these spaces that have been created unconsciously by all of us. They are always wondering if they are cute enough, sexy enough, thick enough, or just enough period.
These generational curses must stop somewhere though! We can't keep passing down these negative thought patterns to our daughters, nieces, cousins and sisters. What I want my girl students to know is that they are beautiful no matter the curves they have or don't have. What I want women all over the world to know, is that we are more than the butts and breasts we have or don't have. We won't all have one type of body and so I say, take care of what you have and live your best life!
What is most important is that we are healthy and that we love ourselves. What matters most is that when we look in the mirror, we see God's beautiful creations, knowing that God does not dabble in making messes. Girl you're amazing, just the way you are!
