A woman reflects on her struggles with body image influenced by social media. Her anxiety about her body has persisted for most of her life, only alleviated during pregnancy. Previously, body positivity flourished, promoting self-acceptance. Recently, however, she observes a shift back to the unhealthy standards of beauty of the early 2000s, leading to feelings of inadequacy and a resurgence of past insecurities. She feels a deep sense of loss as the self-love messaging fades away in favor of a more critical perspective on body size and shape.
Scrolling through Instagram, I grapple with contradictory feelings about body image, comparing myself to others while feeling the weight of societal pressures on body size and shape.
I recall a time when body positivity messages dominated, promoting self-love and acceptance, but now, a shift back to old standards of beauty seems inevitable.
For years, anxiety regarding my body has shadowed my existence, with brief moments of relief during pregnancy, yet the pressure to conform to ideal body types is re-emerging.
The nostalgia for an era when body positivity flourished contrasts sharply with today's culture that fetishizes thinness, reigniting insecurities I believed were fading away.
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