Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Societal Pressure Will Drown Us All

As a writer, lover of fashion, and sometimes media, I feel like this needed to be said. I haven’t seen it said yet, so I thought I would take it upon myself to be the first.
Lately; I’m thinking the pressure society places on us, will eventually kill us all given enough time.
            I’m not talking literally, I’m fully aware and accepting of the fact that we will all eventually die when it is our time.
            I mean I feel like our society has become one giant middle school, and no one can seem to graduate. Remember in middle school when you would be ostracized by your “friends” if you weren’t wearing Hollister jeans? Yeah, me too. And, that really sucked because, I have a big butt, and a size seven butt doesn’t fit into Hollister jeans. Plus, my size seven but didn’t want to be suffocated in Hollister jeans, anyway.
            More and more, we’re morphing into one exercise crazed, collar-bone obsessed, and vegan loving generation. Have any of us ever stopped to think do we actually like these things, or do we like it because, that’s all that we see in magazines?
            Just yesterday, I was scrolling through Instagram, and I saw a picture of a model, who was very skinny but, healthy. You know how some people naturally have small frames? On this picture were a wide range of comments from, “Oh My God, ew. She needs to put some meat on those bones!” “Eat A Cheeseburger!” “Perfect body.”
            One comment really disturbed me and stuck with me.
            “She has the perfect body. Like oh my god. I should just stop eating now, so I can look like this.”
            No. No. No. No.
            I clicked on the girl’s picture, and she looked just like me. A beautiful healthy weight. Which I take pride in being. I don’t need you to see my bones, unless you’re my doctor, and you’re looking at them on an x-ray.
            In this situation, I’m not sure who is at fault. Perhaps, one person is not entirely at fault, but, it’s a package deal.
            The media & businesses- I think it’s time that stores start using real women in their ads. Why is the media brainwashing girls to believe that the ideal body is one that is detrimental to our health? We were not made to have gaps between our thighs, or collarbones so distinct they could carve a turkey. We idealize this “dream” body that we all exhaust ourselves trying to achieve. How about instead of putting all our time into changing our bodies, we focus on loving the bodies we were given? Embrace your flaws. Everyone has them. If we were all made the same, this world would be a boring place, and fashion would not exist at all.
            Businesses that say that their clothes are exclusive for certain types of women, and banned for others should not be publicized at all. If you’re branding revolves around making people feel bad about themselves, you need a new marketing strategy. It’s not working for you.
            Parents: Encourage your kids! Growing up, my mom wanted to make sure my sister and I never had any issues with self-esteem. We both went through phases where we felt like we had to shop where all the “cool” kids where shopping, and look like the images on the TV. She ensured us that it was ok to shop wherever we wanted. And the bodies we were given are perfect the way they are, flaws and all.

             

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Life is too Important to be taken seriously

Life is too important to be taken seriously.
I came across this quote four years ago. I’ve lived by it ever since, all while 
dodging attacks about how “stupid” it is. Four years ago for most of most of my friends and I, we were at a cross roads in our lives. 
Freshman year in high school. You have the chance to reinvent yourself, grow into the person you 
always dreamed you would be. Except things happen that you don’t plan. Life. 
Many of the people we grew up with have changed to fit in with the “in” crowd.
 Those of us who didn’t change, often found ourselves hanging out alone. 
Influence. It’s a hell of a depressant. Sure, you may feel good at the moment,
 but when it wears off, the real problems are still there. 
You may feel good feeling accepted but,
 you will feel better if you stay true to who you are. 
In five years, no one will remember what you wore, and no one will care who 
you hung out with in high school or who you didn’t. 
Keep your eyes forward, because no one on the sidelines will ever matter, 
unless they’re cheering for you.
 I was thinking about this quote the other day, and why it means so much to me.
 I thought of my nanny.
 She enjoyed everyday of her life, but never took it too seriously. 
She always told me to find what I love, and go after it.
 She advised me not to get sidetracked by anything as silly as gossip 
or a so called “bad-day.”
People die  everyday. Some have died, but still roam the Earth. 
Roam the Earth, waiting for their physical bodies to be
 taken to the place we all go next. That is, if such a place exists. 
The moment we start taking all the little things too seriously, is when we go. 
There’s too much bad
 happening in this life to let every little obstacle break you. 
You have to pick and choose your breaking points. If you don’t,
 this life will drown you. 
When given the choice, because at some point, we all are, 
I hope you choose life.
Even if it kills you, you must live. 
Life is too important to be taken seriously.