The expectation put on modern day teenagers is terrifying. Social media portrays the best versions of people and photoshopped magazines, air brushed films and perfectly posed photo shoots are ensuring that the ‘nothing tastes as good as skinny looks’ mantra is still firmly ingrained in our society. A recent study found that over 50 percent of the main features in women’s health and fitness magazines focused on appearance and weight loss; it doesn’t just apply to women though, more and more men are being diagnosed with eating disorders as the pressure of expectation increases. It is a grim outlook for the confidence of teenagers, and adults, who feel that they need to live up to the unachievable beauty standards imposed by the media.
However, happily, there is a movement of people working to reverse this, to turn against the overwhelming tide of normalisation. The body positivity movement is in its infancy, but the message it is spreading — that we all deserve love, no matter what size or shape we are — is gaining traction. There is no wrong way to have a body.