Body Image and Girls Today

 Body Image and Our Girls Today

What are we telling the girls of today that they should look like?  What they should strive to make their bodies into? 

Okay so this is a big peeve of mine so thought I’d share this picture.  When did society change?  When did real women become less than desirable?  When did the media start telling us we all need to be a size zero with no tummy or fat(which by the way would mean no breasts as they’re primarily fat–so where did those skinny mini’s get those size D cups)?  Sorry this is my rant. 
   Marilyn Monroe was a sex icon.  She was real size woman with real curves.  You could not see her bone structure.  All the girls on the bottom have real figures.  They’re not fat, they’re real women.  They are proportional.
   I was reading an article about models and plus size figures the other day.  I was shocked when they showed a picture of two nude models side by side.  One was the standard super skinny model where you could see her bony shape and the other was a plus size model who looked comfortable and happy in her own skin(which by the way was a beautiful color and shape reminiscent of Marilyn).  The kicker was when I saw the sizes.  The woman who makes her living modelling plus size clothing only wears a size 6!  Really since when is size 6 a plus size?!  When I think plus size I think of size 14 and up.  Not a size 6. . . . I wear a size 5 or 7 in juniors so probably a size 6 in womens.  Am I to think of myself as plus sized?  Should I be starving myself to lose weight?
   My answer to that is no.  I am not going to starve myself-eat healthy yes but not starve.  I am considered overweight for my height already and I’m ok with that.  According to the medical charts I should only weigh between 95 and 105 pounds.  I graduated high school at 105 pounds.  I’m slightly under 5 foot tall.  So I’m a bit flabby. . .oh well.  My husband loves me!  I love me!  My kids love me!  That is all that matters.

 My question to everyone is this. . . .what example are you giving to the children of today?  By your actions how are you influencing your children, neices, etc?  I personally am happy with my body.  I’ve given birth to four beautiful children and my body has changed from where I was as a teenager.  That is normal, that is natural, that is how God made us.

Update to say that I have given birth to five wonderful babies now.  I still do not have a “model” body but I’m happy in my skin.  I still don’t believe we all need to be a size 0 to be considered sexy and healthy.  Please do not define your worth by your clothing size and please don’t teach your children that they should be skinny or that they’re going to get fat.  My height has still not changed and I’ll tell you I don’t weigh anywhere near that 105 lbs!!

Remember what you’re saying about body image and girls today when you look at the clothing catalog.