Loving your body is a hard thing to do in a world that constantly tells you your body isn’t good enough. Marginalized people navigate an environment that essentially requires us to feel bad about the way we look. Finding ways to avoid internalizing those messages can be key to not just surviving, but thriving, in a patriarchal world hellbent on keeping us down. Feeling better about the body you’re in can help you feel better about life in general.
Glamour found that cisgender women have an average of 13 negative thoughts about their bodies every day. That’s one for almost every hour they’re awake! Another recent study from Common Sense Media found that 80 percent of 10-year-old girls had been on a diet. And although these numbers are horrifying, they’re not exactly shocking. They’re the expected result of living in a world where entire magazines are dedicated to providing weight-loss tips and every cover story touts the beauty of thinness.
And while feminism is a great way to understand and undo the oppressive messages that many of us internalize, it’s not a magic bullet to instantly feeling great about your body. You can understand the harmful messages and still be affected by them.In fact, it’s almost impossible not to be. Actively working to love your body can take a lifetime, but there are steps you can take to start the journey today.