At the end of each semester, my body image students write a process paper where they synthesize their learning- both personal and academic- for the semester. These papers are always a delight to read and there is so much wisdom in them that I just have to share a fraction of it (with my students’ permission, of course) with you. Here, some wise words from my students this semester. May they give you hope and inspiration the way they did me.
I am worth so much more than what I used to think I was worth. I have realized that all of the negative words ever said to me by other people were not because of me but more of a self-reflection on their part. I have learned that I am not the problem. Society and bad influences are the problems, and that Is how I know I have made a change in the way I view certain situations. I no longer blame myself. I am no longer mad at my body, but appreciative of all the things my body has done for me
Isabel
♥
For me, my number one take away from the class is that there is a difference between using your body and truly embracing your body… I have been simply using my body, I have just been walking around, not taking care of it, not truly one hundred percent loving it. Now, I am making strides towards this and boy have I come a long way from the beginning of the semester. I am a lot more open to talking about my body and my love for it and, on days when I struggle, I feel okay to bring it up and I know that I can bring myself back out.
Myrti
♥
Bacon writes that “[e]very culture has its own standards of beauty, which change over the course of time… [b]eauty standards reflect the political and economic interests of the time.” My question is, how and/or why do we let this “standard” be so incredibly decisive if it’s this elusive and fluctuating? Why in the world would I give this much power to the cycle of a trend? To follow these weight trends would be a constant health roller coaster of squats to make you thick and diets to make you slim; this isn’t healthy. What is healthy for one body certainly does not lay beneath any form of “standard.”
Xan
♥
We should not let the media define what beauty is but we should define beauty for ourselves. The media used to portray beauty in one specific way which was unrealistically stick thin, white, tall, and long hair which is not practical for the average person. Beauty is whatever YOU decide you want it to be. The media is all for making money; they even willingly admit it, they are selling you a dream. They know it is not possible to achieve the “look” that they are putting out there but they know women, as well as men, are going to try their best to imitate the “perfect look”.
Carmen
