Self Love: A Foreign Concept to Most Women

Self love.

Is it something that you have innately within yourself, or is it something that you work on and slowly develop over time?

Well speaking from my own personal experience, self love comes from going through the ups and the downs and finally getting to a place where you can accept and love your body even if it’s not model-thin or outrageously curvy.

Growing up, every girl battles with image issues. Her mind tells her she needs to lose weight, or that her thighs are too fat.

Fortunately however, most grow out of this.

I myself found someone who loves me unconditionally and this spurred me to realize that if someone else can love me despite my flaws, that I can too.

Celebrities who preach self love are usually mocked, some claiming a PR team is sitting behind them whispering in their ear what to say.

But I believe these celebrities shouldn’t be mocked for their stance.

Take Demi Lovato for example.

Recently she did a nude, makeup free, non-retouched photo shoot with Vanity Fair’s Patrick Ecclesine and shared with the world her ability to accept and embrace her body in its natural state.

She shared in a candid video with Vanity Fair that her reasons behind the photo shoot were to inspire other women and show that they too can get to a place of self love.

“The reason why I decided to do this photo shoot was because when I, when I think of confident, I think of many things but one thing in particular is feeling comfortable in your own skin.

“I thought there was something incredible about the idea of no makeup whatsoever, no clothes and no retouching.

“You know, that says something – I would’ve never thought that I would’ve ever gotten to a place in my life where I would feel comfortable doing that. It’s empowering and it shows other women that you can get to a place where you can overcome the obstacles of body image issues,” Lovato said.

As a celebrity, you open yourself up to a world of criticism.

Paparazzi follow you around and there is always someone telling you what you should wear, how you should look and that you’re not good enough as is.

I think it’s empowering and inspiring that celebrities like Demi can open up and take a stance against this and say NO to self hatred.

The world needs more women like this.

Until next time,

SR

Is Being #BodyPositive Promoting Obesity?

Every single day there seems to be a new Internet movement starting to form.

Originally, the fat acceptance movement had health experts shaking in their well-cushioned chairs for fears of rising obesity levels.

But now it seems all movements are beginning to share a common theme, one that is both empowering and detrimental.

The body positive movement is one that has sprung out of revolt, formed by women who were sick of being told that they needed to be size zero to be beautiful.

Georgina Jones, writer at Bustle.com, recently wrote an article titled, “Is It OK To Be Insulted When You’re Called Fat But Identity as Body Positive?” which brings up some interesting points surrounding the movement.

Pictured above: Georgina Jones (Picture from Instagram)

Jones shared her insight into being a member of the body positive and fat acceptance community, but adds it can still hurt when labeled fat by critics.

She writes, “it’s incredibly easy to preach body positivity from behind a keyboard.

“It’s incredibly easy to laugh at trolls who have nicknamed me ‘hambeast’ from the comfort of my bed.

“Even in real life, it’s simple enough to explain why I’m reclaiming the word fat, why I’m calling myself fat, and why I’m happy to be called fat.

“But when a word is thrown at you with venom — when a word is aiming to cut you deep and produce hurt — it’s difficult to explain even to yourself that it “doesn’t matter,” said Jones.

Pictured above: Georgina Jones (Picture from Instagram)

When preaching self love, body positivity and self acceptance, you unintentionally also become member of the fat acceptance movement which in itself can be detrimental to health.

It is true that everyone should accept and love themselves for who they are, but where do we draw the line between self love and encouraging obesity?

Health experts have proved time and time again that the key to health and weight loss begins with self acceptance, but at what point does self acceptance become denial?

Georgina Jones openly calls herself fat and encourages others to do the same.

She claims that labeling herself fat takes the stigma out of the term and writes:

“Body pos [positive] activists wouldn’t be reclaiming the word ‘fat’ if there wasn’t already a vicious and complicated set of attributions and associations placed onto the term, after all.

“By using it positively for ourselves, we’re already changing the perception of the word fat, of fat people, and of fat acceptance.”

Pictured above: Georgina Jones (Picture from Instagram)

As a society, we are not allowed to say ‘being overweight is unhealthy’ without being called a ‘fat-shamer’ ourselves but the thing is, there is a difference.

The difficulty is that the line between self love and fat acceptance is extremely blurred.

Are we supposed to encourage body positivity whilst also encouraging the rising rate of obesity along with all associated health conditions or do we speak out, and be labelled a fat shamer?

Well, I’ll leave you to ponder those challenging questions.

Until next time,

SR

Share your thought with us in the comments below or tweet us @takebackthebod

Gigi Hadid Responds to Body-Shaming on Instagram

Most of the time, when the name Gigi Hadid arises in conversation, declarations of love and admiration are usually what follows.

However the latest discussions to arise around the infamous name are that of body shaming, with people calling the model fat.

Within the last month, comments such as:

“Is she a plus size model?” and, “Not the bum of a top model.”

Gigi’s response to the critics was applaudable, with the star reaching out over Instagram  to tell people body shaming is unacceptable.

In her post, Gigi says, “So many people are so quick to comment negative opinions this month. Yes, judgement on social media comes from people who 99% of the time, have no idea what  they’re talking about, but I’m human, and I’m not going to lie, I did let the negativity get to me a little..”

She later adds, “No, I don’t have the same body as the other models in shows. No, I don’t think I’m the best at any given show. Yes, I want to have a unique walk but I also know I have to improve.

“No, I’m not the first or last model of my type in this industry. You can make up all the reasons you think I am where I am, but really, I’m a hard worker that’s confident in myself, one that came at a time where the fashion industry was ready for a change.”

It’s astounding that one of the most widely followed models on Instagram can receive such negativity, especially since Gigi represents a role model to millions and exemplifies what it means to be body-positive.

In her final response to the haters, Gigi tells them to unfollow if they don’t like her. Basically politely telling haters to F-off.

“If you don’t like it, don’t follow me, don’t watch me, cause I’m not going anywhere.”

Until next time,

SR

Does One Cheek Count as “Cheeky”?

Victoria’s Secret photoshop fail has resulted in mockery and outrage all across the Internet.

An image posted to their Facebook page, titled “Truly, Madly, Cheeky” has caused fans to express their outrage at the use of ridiculously unnecessary photoshopping.

Victoria’s Secret models are renowned for their slim, toned bodies however it seems they have pushed it too far.

This major photoshopping fail begs the question of ‘how much photoshop could VS models possibly need?’.

Let’s start by acknowledging the fact that Victoria’s Secret models are already slimmer than the majority of the population. This does not necessarily mean they are unhealthy, however why would such healthy models need any photoshopping whatsoever?

The list of VS models include the likes of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Candice Swanepoel and Martha Hunt, all of which are extremely devoid of muffin tops or love-handles.

Therefore, what does this photoshopping nightmare mean for the rest of us?

If Victoria’s Secret thinks its models need photoshopping, then this implies that absolutely no one is perfect.

Comments under the image ranged from outrage, to comedy – some even mocking the photoshoppers skills.

Courtney Lee said, “look at the God awful photoshop that took literally everything good away from the shot.”

Anna VeeTee added, “She is beautiful as she is, as are we all and that should be celebrated!”

I, myself, would have to agree with most of the comments. I believe photoshopping Victoria’s Secret models is completely unnecessary as is photoshopping any other model.

Most models today are extremely thinner than the population, therefore why do they need photoshopping?

What do you guys think, do models need to be photoshopped or should they be made to include a statement such as, “Image has been photoshopped” at the bottom of the image?

Until next time,

SR

Learning from Kylie Jenner’s Lips

Before Kylie Jenner admitted to using lip fillers, the online world was infatuated with her lusciously plump smackers.

Now, ‘what does this have to do with body image?’ you might ask, and the answer to this is, everything.

At the youthful age of eighteen, Kylie Jenner felt the need to inject her smile with temporary lip fillers.

After years of feeling uncomfortable with her lips, she decided to finally do something about it – good for her! The problem is however, that this is telling all other young girls that plastic surgery is necessary to be beautiful.

For a while, Kylie tried to keep the injections secret until finally she decided to tell the truth in regards to her lips. The reason for her hesitations she shared, was her fear of people judging her.

“I want to admit to the lips but people are so quick to judge me on everything, so I might have tiptoed around the truth, but I never lie,” Kylie said.

The thing is, I’m actually not against plastic surgery. I think if you’ve thought about it for years, have a sound reason for the operation, have enough money and have the doctor’s go-ahead then that’s everyone’s individual choice.

The problem with the media idolizing Kylie’s lips however is that the majority of people, young girls especially, don’t have the money nor the need to alter their appearance.

Kylie Jenner getting lip injections is basically saying to young girls that they need plastic surgery in order to be considered beautiful.

Insecurities. Everyone has them, every woman battles with them, but not many can do anything but diet, exercise, get a haircut or use different makeup.

Kylie admitted insecurities were the reason behind her choice to plump her lips, stating, “I have temporary lip fillers, it’s just an insecurity of mine and it’s what I wanted to do.”

The thing is, everyone has their own reason for changing their appearance but this is reinforcing the idea that in order to love yourself, you need medical “enhancements”.

Kylie Jenner has every right to get lip fillers, it’s just that for the millions of young women and girls who idolize the star this is saying to them that natural beauty isn’t of value. That you’re not good enough as you are.

Our generation is becoming increasingly surgery obsessed, and this scares me.

The other day, a good friend of mine confided in me that when she has a baby she will get a C-section and a Nip-and-Tuck following the child’s birth.

As the trend to get surgical enhancement is on the rise, all one can hope is that finally we will come to our senses and realise we are beautiful in our natural state. Surgery does not make beauty, kindness and love do.

Until next time,

SR

Celebrity Post-Pregnancy Weight Loss

Pregnancy comes with its pros and cons.

Pros, you are full of unconditional love for a tiny human being. Cons, you’ve gained enough weight for people to continue to ask ‘when’s the baby due’ even though you’ve already had it.

Next comes the sleepless nights, late night snacking and the lack of energy to exercise.

When six months later you still have the baby weight, you start wondering why celebrities seem to lose the weight within one to two months of child birth.

Why is it that celebrities can drop the pounds within weeks and yet for normal mothers, it takes well over half a year?

As a whole host of celebs are expecting, amongst them are the likes of Kim Kardashian, Kelly Clarkson, Evangeline Lilly, Leighton Meester,  Brooklyn Decker, Naya Rivera and Kristen Cavallari.

But what is it exactly that fascinates us about celebrities’ growing baby bumps?

The celebrity trend of losing the pregnancy weight within weeks, sometimes even days, is a growing trend amongst new Hollywood mothers.

The risks of losing weight too quickly post pregnancy however are alarmingly worrisome.

Women who drop the weight too rapidly can develop numerous complications, plus it can drain you of vital energy you need to look after your growing baby.

Dr White, MD, Fellow American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, warns that losing the baby weight too quickly can stop mothers from producing enough breastmilk to feed their newborn.

Unrealistic weight loss goals can cause women to think they have to lose the weight as soon as they step out of their haute-couture hospital gowns.

This is NOT a realistic goal to have.

White says not to expect to be able to go back to your pre-baby body and instead says, “You may not be able to return to your exact pre-pregnancy weight or shape.

“For many women, pregnancy causes lasting changes in the body. You may have a softer belly, wider hips, and a larger waistline. Make your goals about your new body realistic,” she says.

Instead of comparing yourself to celebrities with nannies, personal trainers, chefs and nutritionists, Dr White advises new mothers to:

• NOT skip meals
• Eat 5 to 6 small meals a day with healthy snacks in between
• Eat breakfast
• Slow down
• Choose fruits and vegetables
• Drink 8 or 9 cups of liquids a day
• Choose broiled or baked rather than fried foods.
• Limit sweets, sugar, and fat

Most importantly however, make sure to enjoy the precious time you have with your growing newborn!

Until next time,

SR

For more information regarding post-pregnency weight loss, visit https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/patientinstructions/000586.htm