FINDING PEACE WITH THE REFLECTION IN THE MIRROR - PART 2

My story

Growing up, I never thought much about beauty or my body. It was the least of my worries. But everything changed when I started being around other girls my age and when social media entered my world in my young teen years. I began to realize that I looked different than others. I slowly started to believe that needed to change in order to be beautiful. I thought I need to change to be accepted by other girls and for the opposite gender to find me attractive. I also struggled with comparing myself to other girls’ bodies in high school. I started to feel of less value in the eyes of my circle and not up to the mark as some others. Social media made all of this much worse. All the models and celebrities seemed so perfect and seamlessly “beautiful.” This created a slow creation of an unrealistic beauty standard in my mind. At times, I thought if I changed myself I would be happier, more beautiful, make more friends, be liked by more guys, and overall be approved by others and the world. But no matter what I did, bought, ate, or didn’t eat, weight lost or gained, it left me so empty.

Where I am now

Over the years and through many trials in my life, I have learned that my value doesn’t come from how perfect my body is. Our value can not come from how we think others see us. Other women’s bodies can look different from our bodies. It is important to be healthy and take care of ourselves by eating well and moving our bodies but losing weight and achieving an ideal body should never be of more value than loving yourself for where you are at. I still have many days where I look in the mirror and start picking at my body and go to war with myself. However, I see that I am growing in not only knowing that my body is beautiful but also that my body is so strong as it has carried me through many hard seasons. Social media and its effect on my thoughts on beauty standards is still something I have to fight. I have to continue to tell myself every day that social media is not real and the “ideal” or “perfect” body does not exist. I am also learning also that I am to love my body as God loves me. I am grateful for my parents, God’s Word, and many teachers and counselors in my life that have helped me see these truths.