The Sunday News
MOST of us can say that we have spent more time than we would like to admit staring at the mirror, dreaming about having smaller thighs, waist, a firm behind or picturing ourselves having a “perfect” body. Whether you are skinny, muscular or curvy— I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but you’ll never find it because the perfect body doesn’t exist.
There’s a reason the idea of the ideal body has changed throughout the years. It’s all based on a few influencers’ perspectives in the media who decide that during a certain year, this kind of body is the new ideal body. Like fashion trends, there is also a body trend. The new ideal body is in for a year or two. Take for instance, the Heidi Klum model look where looking sickly with bones sticking out was portrayed as “hot,” fast forward to a couple years where the “muscular, fit, Naomi Campbell body” was the ideal, then fast forward again to today where the Nicki Minaj and Nomzamo Mbatha “curvy body” is the new body trend.
The image of what a perfect body is changes so much in the media that we can barely keep up.
Sadly, according to society, fitting trends is seemingly all that matters. Truthfully, who decides what the ideal body is?
Wouldn’t the ideal body be one you are proud and confident of no matter the size? In reality, no matter how many celebrity diets, workouts or juice cleanses you do, you still wont have the perfect body, so why try so hard to fit to societies’ “ideal “body. The current body trends are the gap, bikini bridge (among all the other crazy ones).
These are just two of the latest trends we’re hearing about. If we don’t possess them we are led to believe that we do not have that killer body we desire and it is something we have to work for. But is this true?
Although it has only hit a recent boom in popularity with the public, the ‘‘gap’’ is not a new trend and has actually been around for years. It was however, originally only widely known by models who were required to be super skinny to have a successful career. Basically, when you stand up with your legs together, your upper thighs do not touch. The little space between them is this so-called ‘‘gap’’.
In reality, not a lot of us can have the gap. Not having a gap between your thighs are not a reflection of you being heavy, overweight or fat. Some of us simply are not built to have one. The structure of our hip bones contribute more to the possibility of a thigh gap than our weight, and no amount of dieting, exercising or wishing is going to change that!
Then we have the bikini bridge! Unlike the thigh gap, the bikini bridge is a relatively new trend. Its popularity has started a new selfie craze on the internet and in many ways the unhealthy trend has taken over from the “gap”. Well, instead of your bikini bottoms sitting comfortably around your body, you are aiming for them to be suspended between your hip bones so there is a space between the bikini bottoms and the lower abdomen. Yes absolutely, if you have hip bones that naturally just stickout. And if you don’t? Well then no, probably not, and just like the thigh gap, endless complaining and wishing will never change your hip bone structure. Of course you can always tilt your back and suck in your belly for a quick snap to upload to your Instagram or Twitter, because let’s face it, not that many people really possess the bikini bridge and depending on the angle of the photo, it’s probably possible for us all to have it for that brief moment that the flash goes off!
Simply stated, the perfect body doesn’t exist so start living life and stop striving for one. There will always be someone out there to criticise you so who cares. As long as you feel good being active, eating a burger and pizza on your chat days or doing whatever it is that you do, tell society to mind its own business. Eat healthy, exercise regularly and be happy.
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