Why are you so....?

Part of being human is the inherent fact that we are all different. No two people (not even identical twins) are the same. I personally believe our individualism should be celebrated. Think about it. Isn't it cool that despite the enormous number of people on this plant we are all still different?

Instead it seems that we are taught to wipe away our uniqueness or dislike the features that make us stand out amongst our peers. We can't seem to accept that some people have small frames and some people have larger ones. That some people's metabolism works at a dissimilar pace than our own. That some people have small hands or big feet and others have long legs or big thighs. Genetics have always separated us and yet humans have refused to acknowledged that as a good thing. Society has taught us to judge each other by how closely we come to the "ideal" body. We try to blend in with one another, casting away our differences. We question the reason a person looks a certain way when the answer is often simple, heredity. It's just the way the world works.

Two of my favorite YouTubers, Zoella and SprinkleofGlitter, seem to be great advocates for loving yourself and being kind to people (in a general sense and when it comes to other's bodies). Both women, although different, are equally as gorgeous and seem to possess a certain amount of confidence with their bodies. Recently, the two women made an awesome video about the question, "Why are you so skinny?" I loved their approach to the question and definitely agree with both of their expressed opinions. The way you phrase a question/statement can make all the difference. It's important to be aware of the effect words can have on an individual. If there is something more going on, and you are concerned about a friend, there are better ways to approach that kind of situation. Making rude comments and assumptions can leave an everlasting effect.

"If you're happy and you're healthy, then screw what everybody else thinks."

I am short. I have small hands and small feet. My legs are short and my thighs have always touched (even when I was skinniest). My spine curves in weird ways. My stomach fat is a little larger on one side than the other. My jaw is crooked and no part of my body is even remotely symmetrical on either side. Yet this is the way I was born. It's not ideal but it's what makes me, me. I have spent a lot of time being unhappy and dissatisfied by my body. I have struggled to see any part of myself as pretty because according to the magazines and the research, I'm not. Listening to people call other women/men ugly or fat for being a certain way, also has effects on the people you say those things around (not just the people you say them about). We should be going farther out of our way to say positive things about each other rather than making negative comments.

I'm certainly not entirely happy about the way my body looks, but I try to find one thing I like every day. I have learned to see my differences as positive thing, rather than as a burden. There's no way, besides possibly plastic surgery (and even that won't solve everything), that I will end up with the "perfect" body. I figure I might as well try to be happy in my own skin, rather than waste my whole life wishing I was something else. I wish society spent more time teaching people to love their bodies rather than focusing on what we should change. Embrace the parts that make you unique. Love yourself, no matter what size, shape, or amount of "imperfections" you have. Lastly, don't forget to act in a positive way towards others too. Tell your friends, children, significant others that they look lovely each and every day. Saying nice things never causes as much harm as saying something derogatory.

Now I've basically become the one girl from Mean Girls who says she wants to "bake a cake made out of rainbows and smiles," but I found this video to be so important.

What's one thing you love about your body?

-S