Something I often think about is where does
the apparent lack of acceptance of our body’s come from. And I don’t mean
others not accepting how you look, I mean us not accepting our own body’s. Surely
if we are not happy with what we have it doesn’t matter how many others love
your bits… you will still be left feeling insecure.
I hope I am not speaking out of line, I
realize that as a young woman who is overweight I am a prime candidate for body
insecurity, but I have noticed that all-most all woman I know have some issues
with the way they look. Whether your sixteen and have just got you first glimpse
of you adult form or your 60 and the aging process takes hold, I do not believe
I am lying when I say most women seem insecure about something body related if
not all things body related.
This got me thinking, and I have a theory.
Not an answer may I stress merely a hypothesis as to why female body confidence
seems to be low? All humans go though puberty. A confusing and, on reflection,
a rather hilarious time where your body changes from that of a child, to an
adult. All humans’ age. Sorry girls its true gravity will one day take hold for
the men and us. This is absolutely natural but, for some reason society today
likes us to stay young for as long as possible with creams potions and maybe
even the odd nip and tuck. But as Lana Del Rays song de jour tells us; ‘we were
born to die’ morbid perhaps but the only guarantee in life.
I think there is a difference for women
though, in how much our bodies change and develop in comparison to how men’s
do. Men go through puberty then they slowly age though time till they shuffle
off this mortal coil. Women do the same we grow as a child, go through puberty
and then slowly age till… well till you kick the bucket. BUT, we also go
through much more every month for our fertile years we menstruate a constant
cycle of changing hormones which also affects us physically in different ways.
Some folk get spots, others bloat other people get incredibly depressed… the
list goes on. All of these side affect of your period I believe will affect how
you perceive and accept your body.
Many women have one or more children a
natural yet traumatic process in which your physical appearance changes very
quickly during the months of gestation. Then birth (I cannot speak from
personal experience) but an event, which is natural, but does traumatize and
change your body whether you deliver vaginally or with a cesarean. Then there’s
the production of milk and how that affects the physical appearance of your
breasts and the post baby weight that many new mothers feel pressured into
losing quickly. Many women have trouble conceiving or carrying children also
this will of coarse affect how you view your body. Conception and birth are
amazing and challenging things and cause a lot of changes to a woman’s adult
body.
Then as you age you have the menopause, on which
I am not an expert, but its another
big hormonal and bodily change. A lot of women talk of there breasts sagging
and something called the middle age spread (which I think men suffer with
also). Also the psychological impact of realizing that you are no longer
fertile would I think have an affect on how you view your physical appearance.
Essentially what I'm saying is excluding
the current trend in society to dress well stay slim and avoid carbs ;). Women never really, I think, get the
chance to just have a bit of time to enjoy there adult form as it is because we
go through so many changes and events all of which have the potential to be
emotionally and physically traumatic although perfectly normal.
I hope this makes sense. I do realize I am
a young girl passing opinion on many events I have yet to experience but I do
not think I am being insensitive. I truly believe that the part of being a
woman that makes us feel powerful (the ability to, with a little help from our dangling
friends make babies and give birth, means that we are in a constant state of
change and, in a society where looks are considered important our ever changing
body’s make it difficult for us to fully relax into our appearance
That’s my theory anyway J
p.s when I was spell checking this the
sentence in paragraph 7 which reads: “Essentially
what I'm saying is excluding the current trend in society to dress well stay
slim and avoid carbs ;).”
The computer suggested it should read “…to dress well stay slim and
avoid crabs ;).” AHHA!
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