With seemingly ‘perfect’ social media posts hammering on your self-worth each and every day, it’s easy to get lost in the noise and believe that you might not look as good as you do.
Correct posing, professional lighting, getting implants, having the entire day to exercise before photos, taking countless pictures until you get the right one, and photo-editing can turn anyone into an Instagram model or a fitness blogging star.
However, it’s an inaccurate representation of reality and it can lead to a lot of pressure for women (especially young girls) to try and copy nigh-unachievable looks.
There is a spark of hope for some normalcy and common sense, however.
Women continue to join the #NormalizeNormalBodies movement on Instagram and on TikTok that does exactly what it says on the tin: it celebrates normal bodies that nonetheless don’t get enough representation online.
Have a look at what the trend, started by Mik Zazon, means below and, as you scroll down, upvote the photos that inspired you the most, dear Pandas.
We wanted to go in-depth about unrealistic body standards and how this affects mental health, so we reached out to the UK Addiction Treatment Group. Nuno Albuquerque, the Head of Treatment for the UKAT Group told Bored Panda that, unfortunately, there will always be people who are negatively affected by photoshopped and ‘perfect’ images on social media. Especially young adults and children.
#1
The day that I created the #normalizenormalbodies movement, and little did I know that it would start a movement to connect stories from all over the world.
This photo is one that i will cherish for the rest of my life.
#2
I started photography partially because I’m a control freak and partially because I felt that I would never belong in front of the camera. I default to a lot of similar positions because I’m new to this, and my body doesn’t move the same way as others.
Learning to feel comfortable expressing myself, especially as I collaborate with and learn from others, has been so fun.
The reality is that I have mobility limitations, and certain poses are painful or not possible. I’m trying to focus on the ones that are, and make them unique to me. Aaaand for some reason, this weird flamingo pose is one of them
#3
We can respect our reflection without loving it.
We can respect our reflection without feeling joy for it.
We can respect our reflection while struggling with it.
Respect should come FIRST…
Respect it with kind words.
Respect it with rest.
Respect it with clothes that fit instead of squeezing it into clothes that don’t.
Respect it with movement.
Respect it with nourishing foods and water.
How are you respecting your body this week?
“The continuous promotion of these types of images can lead to an obsessiveness for perfection, and this in itself could be the underlying psychological disorder that leads to the eating disorder Anorexia Nervosa,” Albuquerque, the UKAT Group Head of Treatment explained how photo-edited pictures can affect us.
According to the expert, acceptance and a love for oneself “comes from within but is hugely influenced by environmental factors.” That means that all of us, in part, are responsible for how welcome (or unwelcome) some people feel.
“As a society, we must work together to create a culture of self-love and support, and this means by ensuring the promotion of as many different body types, shapes, colors, and sizes as possible.
If a young girl is brought up only seeing one type of woman in advertisements, on social media, in films and music videos, in her family and close friends circles, then seeing something different in herself could cause confusion.
This confusion could then manifest itself into an unhealthy mental health state,” he told Bored Panda.
#4
Your GOAL WEIGHT is not always your HEALTHY WEIGHT.
I often get asked how I became comfortable with my WEIGHT, with my BODY. How I stopped restricting. How I began eating. How I let myself slide into swimsuits and shorts and didn’t pick apart the cellulite, the stretchmarks, the soft folds that slunk over seams.
These questions are coming in more right now, as so many of us are home, slowing down, sliding into our thoughts.
And like SELF LOVE itself, the answer is complicated.
Because those thoughts never entirely go away. They’re part of being human.
Yet BODY ACCEPTANCE isn’t about always feeling only sunshine and rainbows.
It’s about feeling what I feel, but knowing in the same breath that my BODY says nothing about my WORTH as a woman.
That no matter WHAT, I deserve to EAT.
That I can have fitness goals, but they should come from a place of LOVE, not of punishment or restriction.
And that a NUMBER on a SCALE can not, should not EVER define or control me. Even if it once did. Even if once it was all I thought about for days on end.
So here’s a little reminder for any of you struggling right now with the urge to diet or shrink or minimize all that you are:
Know that incredible GOALS can have NOTHING TO DO with WEIGHT, and EVERYTHING to do with HEALTH.
Good luck out there girl.
You’ve got this.
#5
I always have a hard time with these posts. Because even though I try to post real candid photos, I still have a tough time being completely vulnerable and open.
But I just wanted to show you guys, what a wonder posing and high waisted pants are. They can completely change your perception of someone’s body.
I spent so long hating my body instead of celebrating it. And I can honestly say I am finally content in my skin. I know that my body is ever changing. It is growing and shrinking, and then growing and shrinking again..
But I have definitely spent a lifetime hiding it up until now. I’ve perfected the art of dressing for my “body type” and posing my body in photos. And I naturally suck in my stomach at all times due to years of doing it.
We all have things that we don’t like about ourselves. Our tummies, our bums, our thighs, our chicken wings, our back fat.. but we’re all just trying to love ourselves fully, and that includes those things we’ve tried to hide in the past.
It’s an uphill battle. But we all deserve grace. We all deserve support. So let’s be kind. To ourselves. And to others.
And if I may, I implore that you stop comparing yourself to the people you see on Instagram. What you see isn’t reality most of the time. Is it intentional? Sometimes. Sometimes not. But what I can say with 100% certainty is that comparison is most definitely the thief of joy.
#6
Your WEIGHT may change, but it doesn’t impact YOUR WORTH.
It doesn’t.
Even though sometimes, for so many of us, we get confused.
We start to think it does.
That some silly number on a scale makes us GOOD or BAD.
It’s been on my mind a lot lately thanks to all these ’OH NO, ENDING QUARANTINE FAT!’ memes.
Dark humor is a way so many of us survive difficult times.
But this bodyphobic humor is dangerous. Because it whispers to us lies wrapped in fear: that if we gain weight, we will be failures, not worthy, worthless.
Only that’s WRONG. So wrong.
Because our worth? Our worth sits in SO. MUCH. MORE. Than some stupid number on a scale.
It’s in our ability to reach out with kindness even as the world rocks.
It’s in our brains. Our souls.
Our determination to fight for something better.
Our hope for the future.
Our love for each other.
Our WORTH is connected to all that makes us WONDERFUL and HUMAN.
And that?
That’s something weight could never change
Albuquerque stressed that the key to finding the balance between leading a healthy lifestyle and loving yourself as you are lies in moderation and avoiding obsession.
“We would never discourage someone from wanting to lead a healthier, more active lifestyle, especially in the current climate, it is so important to make the most of the outdoors and enjoy walking, not only does exercise have a positive result on your physical wellness but it provides huge benefits to your mental state.”
He continued: “A healthy lifestyle means something different for everyone, and so regardless of a person’s body shape or size, if the desire to be active is there then great. It’s important to stress however, that for anyone of any size, being active, eating healthy and exercising can become an obsession for some people, and it then becomes unhealthy for that person’s mental health. Everything in moderation is key.” If you’d like some help with identifying eating disorders and for other insights and support, you can visit the UKAT website right here.
#7
Love yourself, your normal rolls (you know your skin), and remember to stop comparing yourself to anyone
#8
Our bodies are poetry, and our stretchmarks are perfectly written lines.
I’m often asked when this journey started for me. When I stopped tearing apart my body and moved toward acceptance.
It’s been a long process in the making, one that truly began on a therapist’s couch at 20 and is still ongoing. But sometimes there are single moments, tiny seconds when lightbulbs go off. Seeing @sarashakeel ‘s Glitter Stretchmarks series was exactly that.
Her work forced me to question what I had always been told was shameful.
Because there, reimagined through her lens, stretchmarks were striking. Stunning. Sparkly and strong and undeniably beautiful.
So today, if you’re struggling with your stretchmarks, know this: we have been conditioned to believe they are ugly. They are not. They are your wonderful marvellous body serving you and supporting you always. Always.
You’re poetry, babygirl.
You’re a work of art. .
#9
Zazon started the hashtag as part of her fight against disordered eating and the mental illness problems that it walks hand-in-hand with. Or, as she put it, “Screw diet culture. Screw weight loss programs. Screw our healthcare system for basing our health by the number on the scale. My body was smarter than me all along. My body was normal all along.”
She aims to include every type of body in her movement: “As a cis woman, I’ve faced unique challenges in accepting my body. Within the #normalizenormalbodies movement no size, weight, gender, sex, color, and shape is excluded.”
#10
After losing over 200 pounds I am left with loose skin. A little reminder on this #mondaymotivation not everything you see on Instagram isn’t what it is. I get a lot of questions about loose skin. From did you have it removed to will you get it removed. The skin is here as you can see on the right.
This is my reminder of all the hard work that I have put into myself. No surgery, no diets, no pills and no keto. Simple calorie deficit and a lifestyle change is what helped me.
Now that I have the loose skin my issue is retaining fluid. Now that I have been incorporating more carbs and calories my skin likes to retain it. This is way my body does and I keep everything transparent with you all. This may not happen to everyone but it does to me.
Rather if I get loos kin surgery or not it doesn’t take from the hard work that was put in to make this happen. There is a possibility that I will get it removed. It’s hard having this in the way. It gets heavy and now I’m starting to have more back issues than I typically would. Even started have skin issues. It’s almost been a year since I’ve maintained. I do fluctuate a lot especially right now as I’m prepping for my next competition.
