Body Image. Blech.

I hate discussing body image. I hate that no one, no matter how confident he or she is, has an accurate view of his or her self and his or her body (if you do, I really would like to meet you and just shake your hand). It makes me hurt inside that people, myself included, are so hung up on little details about ourselves that, in most cases, we can't even change. And that no one but us notices. Think how awesome life would be if we'd just get past these little hangups.
It's sad that everyone sees themselves in such a skewed fashion. I'm as guilty of this as the next person. I hate that I have curly, pouffy hair and I will most likely continue to hate it, no matter how many times everyone else tells me it's beautiful. (It is, however, a mark of acceptance that I no longer straighten it religiously). I'll always hate that my stomach isn't flat and my thighs aren't slim, and I'm not a size 4. But there's nothing wrong with the fact that I'm not. Everyone needs to realize that we're unique individuals and it's impossible to conform to the "ideal" (whatever that is), because it is, just that: an ideal.
We also need to recognize that what makes us "weird" or "ugly" is not either of those things. And that we aren't alone in many of them. We all have cellulite. Like it or not, it's there, everyone has it and we need to accept it. Very few people have flat stomachs. It's pretty normal not to have one!
I wish that we could suddenly all wake up and like ourselves for who we are. It's a mark of strength, in my opinion, to realize that and live life completely loving yourself. I'm always striving to reach that goal, and I've come so far in recent years, but I will always need to work at it.
But, body image is just that: an image. We need to keep that in mind. Our bodies don't need to define us. Personality, heart, intelligence, attitude, these define us. Have a great combination of all of those attributes, and what you look like shouldn't matter (and it still may, because society nowadays is very image-conscious). But if it doesn't matter to you, that self-confidence will be broadcast to the world. And self-confidence is a very good thing.
*day 16 of #31bloggingdays*