Body Image in the Fashion World

Fashion doesn't mean we have to be skinny. Fashion, to me, is feeling comfortable and confident in clothes that display our personality. Acceptance is the true key to happiness.

In the fashion world, body image plays an enormous role. Society and the media constantly create limits on what is and is not acceptable. You're too fat, you're not tall enough, your body is not proportional. I've heard it all countless times. I've read of companies that switched models because the first was "too dark" for an African woman, they preferred a lighter shade of brown. Plus-size companies post pictures of a skinny model next to a plus-size model with the caption "real women have curves" -- as if skinnier women with less curves aren't actually "real women." The requirements on our physical appearance are at an all-time high, the discrimination is present and the separation is real.

Fashion and body image go hand in hand. How can we stop the media and society from playing such an enormous role in our lives? Start with our thoughts. Many of us want to be accepted but have yet to fully accept ourselves. Body image begins with self-esteem, self-worth and self-acceptance. To feel good in our clothes we have to feel good in our own skin. We create our own definition of beauty. Changing our body image doesn't necessarily mean we have to physically change our body, but simply change and control our thoughts on how we view ourself. It's really up to us as individuals to not let society warp how we view others and, most importantly, ourselves.

Fashion doesn't mean we have to be skinny. Fashion, to me, is feeling comfortable and confident in clothes that display our personality. That has nothing to do with weight, height, hair color or skin color. I'm a firm believer that when we figure out who we are as a person and what we want out of life, the need for acceptance from others minimizes. Society and self-imposed limits are the only factors stopping us from feeling like our complete selves. Acceptance is the true key to happiness.

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