Unfit.

It's bizarre how ones perception of us can completely crumble our mental health, now imagine that multiplied by a million. That's social media. Back in 2015, I remember seeing these billboards with these models who had these absolutely perfect curves with no blemishes at all, I wished to be one of them because that was the beauty standard set. Trends kept changing, and as absurd as it seemed it was like as society changed, my body was expected to change too. But every time I bought shoes that didn't fit, I got ones that fit, I realised soon, my body had to be treated the same. I always needed my body to fit into the clothes, when in reality, it was the clothes that needed to fit onto me. Unrealistically small waists that were edited to look like people had to hold their breaths convinced thousands of impressionable women to either eat less or starve themselves, thus eating disorders were formed. Words matter, it matters because it hurts. Saying "you're malnourished" or "lose some weight" was just enough to make some beautiful girl change who she is completely. We want to fit in so bad we lose ourselves in the process, every trend takes a bigger part of us than we realise. And it wasn't only for women, many guy friends of mine have told me that they're going on a diet because social media convinced them they needed abs to be look "cool." Your weight is not your worth. Social media convinces us that beauty is only skin deep, when it's not. Beauty is compassion, integrity, intelligence and so much more than vanity. So instead of changing your body, practice celebrating it. Bloating is normal after a meal, it's your body telling you it has been nourished. Eat healthy meals to, instead of not eating at all. Your body has been through so much just to keep you alive, it's been so strong. The body you have now deserves to be celebrated, and the body you will have in a year will be just as gorgeous. Change is necessary, change means you're growing. So here I am, addressing the completely unrealistic body image that social media has set and telling you that you are your own beauty standard. Start loving your body and giving it what is needs, instead of shunning it. You deserve to be celebrated.