Body image is a major issue for many women. We tend to be our own worst critics when it comes to identifying what’s wrong with our bodies. Learning to love who you are and being comfortable in the skin you’re in is a constant work in progress. If you’re able to accept yourself as you are, then others will be just as accepting of you no matter shape or size.
A person can tell you that you’re beautiful a million times a day, but if you don’t believe in yourself, then these words fall on deaf ears. Having a firm sense of self-worth is not something that you can buy nor is it something that can be given. It’s born from within, and once you become accepting of who you are, only then will you be able to exude confidence without even trying. What you see, someone else may not. What you don’t see, someone else will. Your personal value of self should not be dependent upon what others think of you for personal validation.
The overt yet subliminal messages that are suggested through media and today’s society can be attributed to the negative impact of how a person may perceive themselves. Plus-sized women are no exception to this constraint with having endured the lack of support from advertisers, the media, and fashion industry. Our curves were not celebrated because it was automatically assumed that being overweight was considered less attractive and offensive to others; made you unfit to be on camera; and that you were automatically unhealthy simply because you’re figure was not that of a stick.
This is stereotype continues to be debunked and those anorexic images that once plagued us are beginning to fade away. Women are fighting back and becoming more accepting of each other and the images that they want to see portrayed in advertisements, on film and television, in retail stores and on the runway.
Third Culture Kid Jennifer Lopez sat down with Big Boy from Power 106 (KPWR 105.9 FM in Los Angeles, CA) for an interview in which she discussed the curve of her famous behind. “I guess in Hollywood, it is a bit of a novelty,” she explained. “But for us, who grew up how we grew up, it wasn’t that big of a deal.” Born to Puerto Rican parents, Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential Hispanic performers in the United States. She also is one of the highest paid Latin entertainment personalities with records sales of 75 million and a cumulative film gross of more than $2 billion, according to Forbes.
Being a plus-sized model doesn’t mean that we’re any less vulnerable to nit-picking about our bodies problematic areas. However, it takes a whole lot of confidence for a woman of a curvier disposition to set those insecurities aside and work under constant scrutiny as a model in the fashion industry. Although the presence of plus-sized models is helping to bridge-the-gap in equality for all body types, this is only a small factor in helping to resolve a much larger issue. The problem starts at ground zero which means it starts with the individual. Becoming comfortable with who you are will work wonders for your soul, self-esteem, confidence, and personal well-being. Be your own motivation. Who knows… it might just help you to live a happier life style.
