Video Transcription
BODY IMAGE: Taking the power back
Beauty standards have been drummed into us so strongly—online, at school, through advertising—and some of these ideas become stereotypes. For example, how tall a guy should be, the ideal body shape for a girl, and what makes someone hot or not. Depending on their gender or cultural identity, it can be hard to know what we can do to challenge these messages and ideas that might affect our body image. These ideals aren’t just up in the air; they can make people want to change things about themselves or even take steps in doing so. For example, drastically changing their diet, digitally altering photos, disliking their skin tone or the shape of their eyes, or even avoiding things that might make them feel self-conscious, like smiling or avoiding time in public.
Most of us aren’t even aware of these forces. To start to challenge patterns of negativity towards ourselves and others, it’s going to take a group effort to actually celebrate the fact that our bodies are all different and they’re constantly changing. We’re here to share some ideas about how we can start to push back on some of these ideals and flip the script.
Hot tip number one: Notice what you’re consuming. Social norms really only have so much power over us because they’re repeatedly shown to us on so many forms of media. Every time we see a new idea of what is normal, it gains more and more strength in our minds. That’s why it’s so important to pay attention to when content is edited, curated, or skewed towards certain body types, gender expressions, or looks. To change this up, we can take the power back by filling our feeds with lots of different types of creators, especially ones who celebrate their differences and who we identify with in an authentic and uplifting way.
Hot tip number two: Negativity is not a healthy norm. Sometimes in our friendships, even when we have the best intentions, we can’t help but fall into a negativity spiral when talking about our bodies or looks. Sometimes when a friend of ours says something bad about themselves, we can feel a pressure to show solidarity and say something bad about ourselves also.
“Ugh, I just feel so ugly today.” “Yeah, me too. My skin is terrible.”
We can actually change up the conversation to be positive instead. You can still support a friend without saying negative things about yourself.
“Ugh, I just feel so ugly today.” “Yeah, we all have those days, but talking so down to yourself isn’t fair to the amazing person that you are. I wonder what we can do to make you feel good again.”
See? You don’t have to put yourself down to make other people feel better, which brings us to hot tip number three: Don’t go it alone. When you’re thinking all these awful things about yourself over and over and not talking about it, your negative assumptions remain unchecked. Talking to someone could give you a different perspective or help you find solidarity with a friend who has a shared experience. Either way, it’ll help you feel less alone.
Having these conversations is about validating someone’s experience, acknowledging why they might be feeling that way, and creating a safe space for them to express those feelings. By creating judgment-free spaces where we can share our insecurities, we can start to have conversations where we actually challenge those ideals.
“Lately I’ve just been feeling so bad. My whole feed is filled with, like, really fit people, and I’ve just got no motivation.” “I totally understand what you mean. Sometimes that pressure is so heavy, but you know why these ads have been getting to you so much lately?” “I don’t know, like a week ago I was looking into gym memberships, and now I’m just getting spammed with all these ads of shredded guys telling me how to transform my body in 12 weeks. I’m like, great, even they think I need to transform my body.” “Ah, that’s totally relatable, and I feel awful when I see these ads too. But you do know that these ads are kind of designed to make us feel terrible.” “Yeah, actually that’s so true. Thanks for the reminder, right? I needed to hear that.”
There are many influences that can shape the way that we perceive ourselves, but at the end of the day, we’re all figuring out ways to love who we are, and that’s something that we all have in common. It’s a mighty task, but it’s one worth fighting for. At Project Rocket, we believe that what makes us different makes us special. Your look or your style is about fun, exploration, and self-expression, not perfection. Your body is a vessel for living and doing, for taking on the enjoyments and challenges of life. Totally! And by challenging body ideals and beauty standards, we can start to take the power back on how we feel about our own bodies.
Video by Project Rockit
