In today's media-driven society where young girls are going to extremes to achieve a so called "perfect" body, there's another side to this pressure, and I'm weighing in on a subject that is oftentimes ignored by the media, but slapped with hate by peers.
I'm standing up for the naturally thin girls who are gathering haters faster than ice can melt in Texas, all because of their genetic makeup. I am prepared to receive major flack and shares of "OMG, please just shut up," but the double standard in the weight department has to stop. Generation Z girls, and those who are following in the ranks, have a duty to nix the noise and negative judgement of girl on girl "number" hate.
Somehow, it's okay for someone to make statements such as, "You're soooo skinny, I'd feel much better if you would just eat a burger and fries," or, when I head to the ladies room for the second time (tea does this to me every time!) girls joke and ask me if I'm going to throw up. Or, one of the most popular digs is, "I hate you for never gaining weight," and, yes, all of these have been said to me, and I'm still hearing the noise.
So, let's get this straight. Girls are expressing hatred towards another girl simply because she is naturally thin, she doesn't finish her food or, heaven forbid, she throws back half a pizza in one sitting. A number has literally divided girls, and the blood bath is far from over. I've been on the receiving end of this convo more times than I'd like to count, and to this day, little has changed.
On a positive note, the idea of "real" women is trending, and I love that brands such as Aerie and Dove are inclusive of different shapes and sizes. That said, these campaigns capture our attention for a while, but the younger girls are busy being swayed by the heavy hitters -- reality celebrities.
Every girl, no matter her size, faces pressures, and because we are tugged in so many directions, we lose sight of what is really important when it comes to our bodies. Generation Z girls are bombarded with celebrity Instagram photos that have been altered and filtered to the point of becoming unreal. Speaking of filters, I just love the #nofilter hashtag...not buying it for one second. The brands who are cheering girls on lose traction, and the trend of hate shaming each other over a body size leaves us divided. We can click "like" all day long in support of empowering posts that headline "All Girls are Beautiful," however, we girls must start believing it instead of reacting.
Skinny or curvy, girls should never feel pressured into feeling bad about their body's natural form. It's time to start a new revolution and mindset for young girls. Every single one of us is different, and therefore, the standard of beauty should not equate to one particular size or shape. The essentials of a new, revised standard should hold regard to being healthy, fit for our bone structure and, most of all, possess a sense of confidence that goes along with feeling good about ourselves.
I'm an American girl who is defined as underweight, and I live in a society that places skinny girls like me on a pedestal and hates on me at the same time. Judging each other and spewing hate will never bring positive change. Now is the time to revolt and break the chain of negativity once and for all. Each and every girl is unique and we all have a story to tell. My story: I'm a naturally skinny girl who always felt like she had the body of a twelve-year-old boy. I was judged and hated on by girls who would give anything to be a size 0. A division of girls was created all because of a number and beauty standard we all are guilty of contributing to. There's not an ending to my story just yet, but I hope with all my heart that one day girls will decide to end the hate and nix the noise to finally gang up for good!