In this day and age, society has a very different perception of what is beautiful. But what is "beauty"? There are various definitions, here's a few:
"a combination of qualities, such as shape, colour, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight." - Oxford Dictionaries
"Beauty is a thing seldom seen. It is held by all within the soul it lies, waiting to come out to the surface, but it can only be found if someone is sharing your soul with you. Beauty is suppressed by the evils of the world. Only love can bring beauty out. Once seen, beauty never hides again. Not even hatred can deny beauty of it's true design. Beauty, although possessed by all by few and fewer yet will ever see one of the most beautiful sights - the beauty held by you." - Urban Dictionary
"Beauty is power; a smile is it's sword." - John Ray
This word can mean utterly different things to people worldwide, but in today's society it has been classified as something that not everyone can conform too. Beauty nowadays has a lot to do with one's physical features, whether they be facial features or the shape of your body. Many girls and boys go through hell because of the way they look, the way they dress and who they are. Like many other people in the world, I have suffered my fair share of bullying because of my body, my looks, my race and who I am. I have had and still have body issues, which led me to hate shopping at one point.
The reason for that? The number on the label of every top, skirt, dress or pair of trousers I bought. Numbers dominate shops, and not just to signify the price of what you're buying. I hate looking at the numbers and I always used to make a fuss if my mum told me to buy the next size up because it looked better. Why? I didn't think about whether it looked better or worse, but in my head I thought "if I buy the size up, then I've put on weight. I haven't, have I?" It drove me insane and it took some time for me to accept it. The person I have to thank for this is my mum. She's my fashion icon, my best friend and my role model. She taught me that the number doesn't matter on that label, what matters is how good you feel when you try something on in a changing room of your favourite store. "Comfort is key", she says and I believe it. People, and I say people because this issue doesn't just effect girls but boys too, become very self conscious when they have to buy something or when they put their clothes on in the morning, looking in the mirror and thinking "Do I look okay? Will this be good enough? Will people laugh? What will they say?"
However the thing is no one is going to know what number lies on the tag unless you tell them. People may still say things but that's their own problem, not yours. You have to feel good with who you are, not who people tell you to be. Media definitely effects what people think of themselves because of who they have to present certain ideals. Models tend to be thin and tall, but not everyone will have the same body types. Thank God that now we have celebrities in the media who are changing this and making people feel better about their curves. My thanks goes out to the Kardashians to be honest. They are women who embrace their curves and are well known for them! More women in the media are promoting their curves and loving them, setting an example for the rest of us. Look at Marilyn Monroe: A major sex symbol during her life and she was someone who had curves. How has this world come from admiring someone for such quality, to one where it is slammed.
What I'm trying to say is, don't let people tell you that you aren't beautiful and your body isn't right. Also don't ever be afraid to go a size up in clothing. If you feel more comfortable or you feel like you look better in a size that is bigger than you actually are, then just go for it! Numbers should halt your fashion choices. Another tip is to go with the size above your actual size when trying clothes on, then if you feel comfortable, you would never have known what the other sizes felt like and if the upper size is too big, you'll feel great about yourself when you have to buy a smaller size! And wear what you like! It doesn't have to be "in style" or a "current trend" in the fashion industry, if you love it, wear it. Embrace your style because you aren't limited and if you don't have one particular style, then don't fear in wearing different types of clothing! Love yourself, it's the key to happiness.
Love,
Emily xx
