This past week I was scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed, when I came across a post from a friend of mine, Julie Iorio of Ledbetter, Inc. She had a picture of herself, holding up a sign saying, "I am Perfectly Imperfect". Turns out, this was all because of Victoria's Secret's latest campaign, the #perfectbody campaign.
When are we going to get the message that it's not about having a perfect body? That there's no such thing as perfection. That striving for perfection actually leads to more and more self-harm.
Eating disorders run rampant in the United States, yet, we are still completely obsessed with the ideal body. On a daily basis, women and men are bombarded with the latest diets, weight-loss gimmicks, and outrageous standards of perfection. What if instead of targeting ways to achieve these "perfect" bodies, we started targeting things like fighting cancer, preventing heart disease, and creating healthy bodies with less incidence of decide? Why do we continue to come out with the latest diet plans, weight loss programs, and more when they prove time and time again not to work? Obesity continues to be a problem in America. Clearly, something isn't working.
It's time to stop worrying about creating the perfect body and start worrying about creating perfect health. Victoria's Secret, I am sorry I do not have a perfect body. I have a lot of imperfections and I have grown to be very comfortable with that. However, not too long ago I developed an eating disorder because of outside sources, much like your new campaign, that were everywhere. This led me to believe that my imperfections made me less than; just simply, not good enough.
Even though I am recovered, I still occasionally look at a model, or things like the perfect body campaign, and then look in the mirror and sigh. I do not have a perfect body. I would like to argue that I will never have a perfect body. I am okay with that. I don't need a perfect body. What I do desire are legs that take me places, arms that can carry, a heart that continues to beat under pressure. I want to be healthy, happy, whole, and live a long life, free from the mental discomfort of trying to be perfect. So I will not be participating in the #pefectbody campaign, because I am okay being imperfect.
Ledbetter, Inc has started the #IAmPerfectlyImperfect campaign on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Join them here and share your pictures of perfectly imperfect you!