The stereotype shown in films that women are way more conscious of their weight compared to men rings true, especially when we observe the women in our circles who can’t seem to get over the compulsion to look a certain way before becoming completely satisfied with their appearance.
This is because the media has set a certain perception of what an attractive woman looks like, and regardless of the fact that many of those amazing pictures of glamorous women we see in fashion magazines have been retouched in Photoshop, many have started aspiring to achieve a similar shape and overall appearance no matter how unrealistic it may be to achieve.
All of this has resulted in a large number of women becoming depressed about the way they look, so much so that it has consumed their life to the point that their professional and personal relationships are affected by it. The sad part is that these women are beautiful in their own way, however just because they don’t meet that unrealistic criteria set by the media, they lose confidence in their selves.
But the situation is not all grim, as there are many amazing body positivity activists who are working extremely hard to reignite the idea that the beauty of a person lies within, and that what’s truly beautiful is confidence. These body positivity/neutrality activists are getting women to accept themselves for what makes them unique, helping them emerge from that dark place where they felt insignificant, and encouraging them establish complete acceptance of their own selves, especially their appearances.
The Women Who Are Making A Difference
It’s remarkable that the counter for the damage caused by faux beauty on the psyche of women has come from within. Women from around the world have raised their voice to let other women know why it’s important to embrace real beauty. Celebrities like Priyanka Chopra have made videos without makeup, highlighting their imperfections, saying that it’s okay to have flaws because they make us human.
But then there are some women who have gone beyond the call of duty and continue fighting the good fight, promoting body positivity for women around the world and working towards creating a more accepting environment for them.
Hala El-Shafie
For Hala, the solution to body positivity is not only chanting positive slogans for the body, but it is also about taking action. Many women already know which foods are unhealthy and which ones they need to consume on a daily basis, however that is not enough to maintain a balanced diet. According to Hala, it’s the emotional triggers which are mostly responsible for why we eat what we eat.
For example, while we may have a well-developed case against the consumption of ice-cream, during times of grief or sadness we can’t help indulge in it. Similarly, although our body may lack the nutrition it needs to the point of malnutrition, we may still not be able to convince ourselves to eat anything due to anxiety or stress.
Emotional triggers play a huge role in our eating patterns, and the way to deal with them is not to condemn certain foods as bad, but to address the underlying triggers that compel one to make irrational food choices.
Camille Roegiers
While Hala is taking care of addressing the emotional state of women to help them establish a healthier relationship with food, Camille is helping them with the way they feel about their body by designing clothing that looks good on all shapes and sizes.
Her brand, called Fashercise, has clothing for all women, not just those who fit a select few sizes. According to Camille, wearing clothes that fit their shape allow women to regain that confidence they had lost overtime interacting with brands that have excluded them for decades.
Michelle Elman
Michelle Elman has taken the fight to social media, and draws upon her own experience of feeling ashamed of her body for years before finally accepting it with all its scars after an image of the same went viral on the social media platform, Instagram.
She runs the platform Scarred Not Scared, which is dedicated to discussing issues surrounding body image and to help women accept imperfections while also creating awareness about them in the eyes of the general public.
