Dear every BODY…

Growing up, I always wanted boobs. It seemed that girls were expected to have big, perky boobs or else they weren’t considered hot. This I thought was true because all through elementary school I was bullied for being “flat” (a.k.a I had negative boobs until about grade 11). Eventually, my body decided to give in and grow up (I was definition “late-bloomer”). I have since become blessed with a voluptuous bra size, thanks mom! (#TMI). So there I was, feeling all hot with my cleavage, when BAM – Kim Kardashian.

Suddenly the focus went from the upper half of my body, to the lower half. Long gone were the days of being the hot girl because you had big boobs – it was now all about “dat’ ass.” Kylie Jenner, Khloe Kardashian, Jen Selter, Nicki Minaj, pretty much any Instagram model, and how could we forget about all the twerking… the twerking!! I seriously couldn’t help but think to myself, what the actual f*ck. And look, I don’t even think my butt is all that small to begin with – but if I’m comparing it to what it’s supposed to look like via social media, I’m S.O.L.

Some people say these women have fake butts, some people will say they are real – regardless, this butt-era does sh*t all for the confidence of women whose hips do not actually lie. Take a scroll through social media and you’ll find #Thick everywhere. Every rap music video features women with big butts, big boobs and the tiniest waste you’ve ever seen. The Kardashian’s have successfully created (literally, created) the new age hourglass figure, and my goodness is it everywhere.

Note: I’m not shaming the Kardashian’s by the way – to each their own. I’m actually kind of a fan.  

Paparazzi pics, Instagram pics, Twitter pics, waste trainers, some new melting your stomach fat and transferring it to your booty surgery – there are even apps out there that allow you to enhance your butt and slim your waste in a matter of minutes (*I used to use this app – all I have to say to those pics is L-O-L*). I was feeling more self-conscious than ever. I used to love my body, but I let society change what I thought about myself.

But then I realized something. First you had to have boobs, but now you also have to have a butt, and then you must have rock hard abs, boobs AND a butt but also a tiny waste, toned arms, long legs, no cellulite, no stretch marks, big lips, a tiny nose and no surgery to get all of this because that’s considered fake. Women spend thousands to perfect their appearance, if it be wearing makeup, getting surgery, or going to the gym – and there are still a handful of people in this world that claim we look bad. So I decided to just say F*CK IT.

No matter what we do, society will always think there is something missing. Every girl you meet will have something bad to say about her body – if it be a celebrity, your mom, that girl you went to school with, or your super hot best friend. I admit that working out my legs and booty remains to be one of my favourite workouts, but I no longer do this to keep up with the big booty trends – I just do it for me. You have to do the things that make you happy; the things that make you feel comfortable in your own skin – and you have to do these things a lot.

Instead of dwelling on the part of your body that you don’t like, celebrate the parts that you do like – but teach yourself to love the parts that you hate anyway. And with that, celebrate your health!! We are so lucky just to be able to dance, to be able to run, to walk, to give our loved ones a hug, to travel the world!! It’s time we stop dwelling on the negative and find the positive within ourselves. You are no less of a person because you do not look like a Kardashian, or a Victoria’s Secret model. And I can guarantee that if you don’t love your butt, someone else will – no matter what size it is. 

You can smile, you can laugh, and I promise you that you are loved – having a big butt, big boobs, or being a size two will not change any of that.

Xo, Jessica.