Remember the Magic Mirror from Snow White? The one who always answered in the affirmative that the Queen was the fairest of all in the whole world?
I feel this was specifically scripted for young little girls who are coming of age just so they could understand that each of them is the fairest (read: unique).
Whenever you look into the mirror what do you see? Is there anything about your appearance that you like? Is the anything you want to change, or maybe alter in some way? Is the number of things you want to change more than the number of things you like?
Most people see at least one aspect of themselves that they don’t like. Worrying about the body image has been rooted deep in our minds from a very young age. Constant media exposure of flawless human beings without an ounce of shortcomings has been fed to our minds since birth. Magazines are filled with articles on how to get a toned stomach or six-pack abs, those sharp cheekbones or, a sexy summer body. No wonder there is an increase in the number of people facing body image issues.
Someone is slightly annoyed by a tiny birthmark above her left eyebrow. Someone spends all her time to exercise for leaner legs. Then there is almost every other girl not happy with her flabby stomach. Many-a-times people develop an obsession with a small body part that comes to rule their lives. These flaws intrude every waking moment of the people suffering from body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) which is a mental health disorder, characterized by a continuous obsession a body part. This is the cause of severe distress that interferes with their daily functioning and the worst part of it all is the flaw that is affecting the person so much may even be nonexistent or barely visible to others.
The issue is so deeply ingrained in the minds of people that they don’t even realize they are body shaming someone. A little remark here from your grandmother and a little poke there your brother could make all the difference. Even if at first you feel there is nothing wrong with your body, the frequent gibes and quips add up one day and you slowly give in to the cultural expectation that everybody is inherently flawed.
Then there comes a point when, if something cannot be changed, you simply accept it for what it is and stop wishing for something different before it consumes you wholly. This is your moment of acceptance.
Even if you feel you are flawed in some way, be grateful that you are still breathing. Listen to the needs of your body; no one knows it better than you do. It is the home of your soul and it needs nourishment and nurturing. Rewire your brain to interrupt your negative thoughts. Most importantly, re-evaluate your self- worth. Meditation makes you more aware of your body and soul. A radical shift in self-worth can be experienced in a few days’ time.
People get so caught up in one small thing they don’t like about themselves. You need to remember that salt and baking powder go into a cake and those things taste funny alone but the cake turns out to be pretty delicious.
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International Journal of Research (IJR) 