Hypothetically speaking, say in an alternate world, human bodies are so designed that the metabolism works in an absolutely opposite manner than now i.e. the more people exercise, the lesser calories they take in, the fatter they get.
Conversely, the lesser people indulge in physical activity, the more junk food they feed upon, the thinner they get.
What are the definitions of a perfect body in this world? I wonder.
I can bet money over the fact that the curvier and heavier a woman is, the better chances she has of making it in the modelling/film industry. Similarly, the rounder a man’s belly is, the more likely he is to be on the magazine covers.
This brings me to the realisation that it isn’t about what body type is perfect, it really is about what is easily achievable and what is not. When we’re lauding over a man’s abs or a woman’s waist, we’re admiring the person for being able to do something that requires huge level of self-control, discipline, consistency and what not.
For being a public figure, you just have to look different from the rest of the world. If it’s hard to get thin, then you have to be thin in order to be a model and in our alternate world, you’ll have to be as fat you can be to achieve the ‘perfect desirable body’.
What leads to self-loathing and body-shaming is the inability to realise the very simple thing that you’re not a movie star, therefore you’re not supposed to have a body similar to one. You don’t spend hours in gym everyday, you don’t have a dietician keeping track of every single calorie you take in. Darling, you’re a student /a working professional /a parent, you’re not expected to have flat tummy or six pack abs, you’re expected to be fit enough to do your regular chores appropriately.
A model is anybody who looks different from the rest, different in a hard-to-achieve-it manner. When we don’t feel guilty over the inability to run as fast as an athlete, then why do we feel ashamed of not having a body as toned as a model’s ?
Intense social media exposure about everything happening in one’s life brings with itself a compulsion to look good in every picture. The instant gratification received from such indulgence is addictive and unforgiving. Only if the beautiful people around me and across the world realised that they’re much more than the number of likes on their profile picture, that they shouldn’t limit their personalities to something as temporary as physical looks, this world would have been a much accepting place.
thumpri 