Explorations

By Brittany Wright October 31, 2012

The Body’s Revenge

Why do you hate me?

I never did anything wrong to you. I am what I am, and nothing can change me, yet you hate me. I see you gaze upon the silicon-filled, surgically sculpted, photoshopped pictures in your magazines. I feel you ache when you gaze at me in the mirror, and I hear your heavy sighs as you tug, and squeeze, and suck in, and push out. What is wrong with you? What is wrong with me?

Frankly, I do not understand why you view some of my features as short-comings or downright “ugly”. For example, what is so bad about having a small bust? You’re sixteen years old and you wear a B-cup, yet that is not enough for you. Size shouldn’t matter. And, what is your obsession with the slight deposit of fat around your stomach? Excuse me, but if I did not provide you with enough body fat, you would not be able to bear children properly. Would you rather be barren in exchange for not having what you erroneously describe as “a muffin top”?

Oh, but I see what your problem is. You hate me because you consider the modern paradigm of beauty to be the only paradigm. You think that if I am not completely fat-free, ridiculously large-breasted, and in possession of a flawless complexion, I am ugly.

Well, I have had enough of your bitching, missy.

If you are so desperate to lose weight, why don’t I just allow a flu virus to enter me? That way, you’ll vomit up every little thing that you consume. That way, you will lose lots of weight, tons of essential weight, just like you wanted. What? Why are you complaining? Is this not what you wanted?

While I’m at it, I believe I will convince your hormones to act up a little bit and cause your breasts pain. No, no, I don’t have any reason for doing this, but I will venture to ask you a question: Would you rather have small breasts or small breasts and pain so bad that you cannot bear to truss them up in those awful push-up bras?

Ah, and look at that! The surge of hormones has also made your exceptionally mild case of facial acne much worse than before.

There. Now you are sick, hurt, and pimply. Was it worth it? Was it worth abusing me? Threatening to fill me up with silicon? Forcing me into all sorts of uncomfortable clothes simply because you wanted to “look good”? I would have been fine, and I would have been pleased if you if you had just left me alone and accepted me for who am I. No, it’s too late for apologies. You have hurt me greatly, and taking revenge on you has pained me as well.

All I ask is that you accept me. Is it so hard to demand a little bit of love? I was made in likeness of Nature. I look like what the natural forces at work intended. But your society’s narrow standards of beauty have turned you against me. Please, reject those shallow mores and love me for me. Is that so much for a body to ask?

About the author

Brittany Wright is a Liberal Arts student and an avid writer. She loves history and aspires to be a museum curator when she leaves school.

Acknowledgements

Thank you, Marc-Anthony, for the lovely splash image I'm sure I'll recieve soon!

The photograph “Anorexia” is by Santiago Alvarez, under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Comments

Maribo

November 7, 2012

People nowadays only focus on physical apperance. Having a social life means you must be good looking otherwise your nothing. Your one in a million, desperate of beauty.You don’t get a love life either if your not pretty. Our society is based on stereotypes. Girls 100% fake. Unfortunately,most man’s don’t even take the time to get to know you, see the person you really are. If you have fake boobs, fake eye lashes, extensions, a ton of make up and a nice shape you’re the perfect girl. No wonders every teenage girls want to change parts of their body. They want to look just like people want them to be. Sadly, we can’t even figure out anymore who’s real and who’s fake. Therefore this doesn’t only stand for girls but for boys as well. Boys take steroids, go to the gym 6 days a week to get bigger, go to the tanning salon and dress like ‘‘douchebags’‘. These 2 stereotypes are now what most people are. This is what beauty consists of in our generation. People who are natural and still good looking are rare. They must be kept preciously. It’s just sad how people perceive beauty these days. They can’t make the difference between fake and natural. Hence,that’s just how it is and people must get used to it. You’re in or you’re out. What is it going to be?

leandra

November 10, 2012

This summarizes every teenage girls life at one point or another, which is the sad reality. In the society we live in, we are constantly surrounded by these perfect and unreal images that we are all supposed to attain to allow us to be noticed, loved, beautiful, successful and happy; if not attained, we are nothing. The sad thing is that these images and ideas that surround us can never be attain because there will always be something more, it’s a never ending cycle. We girls easily get trapped in this cycle and some may never be able to leave it. This is why it’s so important to teach self-love and self-esteem because we are perfected no matter what people say or what we think. We are forever perfectly beautiful and there is nothing wrong with that.

Melissa

November 12, 2012

This is a topic that I think really hits home for a lot of girls. It is so true when people say that we are our worst critics. To others, a woman might seem perfectly normal and even pretty, but from their own perspectives they can only find criticisms about their body. These harsh views of themselves cause emotional and physical damage. Always comparing themselves to others leaves them feeling insecure about the way that they look. It can lead to bulimia and anorexia that can possibly lead to death. It’s sad because so many girls see themselves that way. If only they could see themselves aside from the criticism and appreciate themselves for who they are instead of what they look like.

Marcella

November 12, 2012

This topic has been hitting a lot of teen girls this past decade. Many girls think that the perfect image of a girl has to do with a big breast, a big “derrière”, nice long legs, tan, skinny,nice eyes and make up . So do men think the same now! But in reality does the physical count or the inside? Because if it’s the physical then there’s no such thing as a perfect women but a fake women.No one can have everything I mentioned before, it’s all plastic surgery. If you see models today all you see is their bones stick out, not very nice to look at. And people who are skinny have health problems later on in life. We got to the point of creating double “zero” size in clothes, how skinny to people want to get? Seriously, I’m scared for the teenagers coming up in these years will they need triple zero? Love your body girls!

Mireille Hakim Algharib

November 15, 2012

Nowadays, some people seem to forget that our bodies are perfect machines. Our bodies are wise and capable of doing thousands of wonderful activities. Sometimes we forget that while we complain about our hair or the size of our healthy breasts, there are hundreds of people fighting against cancer and other terrible diseases. We must listen to our bodies and be grateful for whatever we have. Trying to change a size, a shape or to add something that “is missing” just to fulfill the beauty requirements will never make people feel better about their bodies, because they will always want something else. If you are not happy with what you have and with what you are, you will never be satisfied with what you get. People do not care anymore about the inside; they only feel important if they are wearing expensive clothes and have a perfect tan. What about the brain? Isn’t intelligence the most valuable beauty? Physical appearance will definitely change over the years, but we will need good physical as well as mental health in order to really be useful and succeed among the jungle of life.

Glad to be here.

November 18, 2012

In the bunch, you will find all sorts, ironically there are very attractive girls and boys that are never satisfied enough (and if so, not for long) on which podium level of beauty they stand and think they own or want to. The beautiful contrasting extreme of these “aching for attention-type” are so much more honorable and successful. Those are the boys and girls who don’t waste time on decorating and reinventing themselves, but place there energy in others and value their growing character and genuine relationships. How is, a person of so called “perfect physical model,” (and lets add plenty of money for perfect stylish clothes) able to save him/herself from wasting time and weeding out losers and scoundrels? By the way, very nice picture created for the article! Who is the beautiful model?

jennyrichards78

February 15, 2013

Well physical appearance can be hidden by our talent. If we present ourselves better nobody is going to beat us. Also we must consider that nobody is perfect.
http://www.imageskincare.com/products/ageless-total-anti-aging-serum-sct

Ashley Berardi

April 16, 2013

First off I’d like to say that I LOVE the picture you chose. For those of you that do not recognize the person in the picture it is the actress Sophia Bush who played Brooke Davis on the television drama One Tree Hill. This picture is actually from an episode where Sophia Bush’s character took this picture to fight against the stereotypes that have been pressured on girls on how their supposed to look in today’s society. In today’s society, a lot of young girls feel pressured from their peers and from the media that if they don’t have a big bust or a nice nose or a flawless face then they are considered “ugly” and therefore resort to doing plastic surgery because they think that’s the answer. These girls fail to realize that plastic surgery can actually harm you if something goes wrong in the procedure and it leaves you in excruciating pain for a couple of days. The surgery is not worth it. Everyone is beautiful in their own way. Nobody’s perfect; everyone has something about their body appearance that they don’t like but trying to change it is like changing who you are. Accept yourself for who you are and love yourself because as the famous singer Lady Gaga says “Baby you were born this way”! There’s also the issue of body complex where as Brittany mentioned some girls try to lose weight through vomiting their food or even inserting a flu virus inside them. Again just like plastic surgery this is just harming your body. Do not follow the bodies you see in the media because those bodies are fake and often photo shopped. If you don’t like your body then you can exercise or eat healthier but vomiting or inserting flu viruses aren’t the answer! Brittany I think you did a great job writing this piece as the one girl who is fighting against these pressured stereotypes and hopefully other girls will be inspired from this piece to not try to change anything about themselves except their self-confidence.

itsYaren

April 17, 2013

It is very true that teenagers nowadays are very conscious about their body. They want to be physically fit but some other teenagers do not do it in a healthy way. Some of them just go to the gym and do some cardio exercises and do not eat anything but salad. That is not healthy at all. They are abusing their God-given body. Our body is God’s creation. Therefore, we should respect our body and treat it in a proper way. It is not about just fruits and vegetables. Our body needs protein and healthy fats too. Teenagers are just peer pressured. They just adopt the fad to be skinny. Teenagers have to appreciate what body type they have learn how to take care of it. This is a must read article. It is such an eye-opener for teenagers.

Khanh Ha

April 23, 2013

The topic of physical appearance has been touched in a personal way which makes the article very convincing. The body directly expresses its thoughts and feelings regarding the suffering and revenge that it experiences. True that physical appearance is important but it does not define everything in lives. Not to be mean or anything but personally I feel sorry for people who constantly complain about their physical appearances because I believe that respect is the most fundamental factor in our social lives, and if you want respect, you have to start with yourself. Only when you accept and respect yourself, you can respect and get respected from people around you.

merrylarren

June 19, 2013

It’s true physical appearance has a great resemblance in today’s world. Talent has got hidden from this physical controversies. Due to this controversies people are coping and advancing themselves to such change.
http://www.fertilemind.com.au/category-manduca-baby-carriers-159.aspx

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Maribo
November 7, 2012

People nowadays only focus on physical apperance. Having a social life means you must be good looking otherwise your nothing. Your one in a million, desperate of beauty.You don’t get a love life either if your not pretty. Our society is based on stereotypes. Girls 100% fake. Unfortunately,most man’s don’t even take the time to get to know you, see the person you really are. If you have fake boobs, fake eye lashes, extensions, a ton of make up and a nice shape you’re the perfect girl. No wonders every teenage girls want to change parts of their body. They want to look just like people want them to be. Sadly, we can’t even figure out anymore who’s real and who’s fake. Therefore this doesn’t only stand for girls but for boys as well. Boys take steroids, go to the gym 6 days a week to get bigger, go to the tanning salon and dress like ‘‘douchebags’‘. These 2 stereotypes are now what most people are. This is what beauty consists of in our generation. People who are natural and still good looking are rare. They must be kept preciously. It’s just sad how people perceive beauty these days. They can’t make the difference between fake and natural. Hence,that’s just how it is and people must get used to it. You’re in or you’re out. What is it going to be?

leandra
November 10, 2012

This summarizes every teenage girls life at one point or another, which is the sad reality. In the society we live in, we are constantly surrounded by these perfect and unreal images that we are all supposed to attain to allow us to be noticed, loved, beautiful, successful and happy; if not attained, we are nothing. The sad thing is that these images and ideas that surround us can never be attain because there will always be something more, it’s a never ending cycle. We girls easily get trapped in this cycle and some may never be able to leave it. This is why it’s so important to teach self-love and self-esteem because we are perfected no matter what people say or what we think. We are forever perfectly beautiful and there is nothing wrong with that.

Melissa
November 12, 2012

This is a topic that I think really hits home for a lot of girls. It is so true when people say that we are our worst critics. To others, a woman might seem perfectly normal and even pretty, but from their own perspectives they can only find criticisms about their body. These harsh views of themselves cause emotional and physical damage. Always comparing themselves to others leaves them feeling insecure about the way that they look. It can lead to bulimia and anorexia that can possibly lead to death. It’s sad because so many girls see themselves that way. If only they could see themselves aside from the criticism and appreciate themselves for who they are instead of what they look like.

Marcella
November 12, 2012

This topic has been hitting a lot of teen girls this past decade. Many girls think that the perfect image of a girl has to do with a big breast, a big “derrière”, nice long legs, tan, skinny,nice eyes and make up . So do men think the same now! But in reality does the physical count or the inside? Because if it’s the physical then there’s no such thing as a perfect women but a fake women.No one can have everything I mentioned before, it’s all plastic surgery. If you see models today all you see is their bones stick out, not very nice to look at. And people who are skinny have health problems later on in life. We got to the point of creating double “zero” size in clothes, how skinny to people want to get? Seriously, I’m scared for the teenagers coming up in these years will they need triple zero? Love your body girls!

Mireille Hakim Algharib
November 15, 2012

Nowadays, some people seem to forget that our bodies are perfect machines. Our bodies are wise and capable of doing thousands of wonderful activities. Sometimes we forget that while we complain about our hair or the size of our healthy breasts, there are hundreds of people fighting against cancer and other terrible diseases. We must listen to our bodies and be grateful for whatever we have. Trying to change a size, a shape or to add something that “is missing” just to fulfill the beauty requirements will never make people feel better about their bodies, because they will always want something else. If you are not happy with what you have and with what you are, you will never be satisfied with what you get. People do not care anymore about the inside; they only feel important if they are wearing expensive clothes and have a perfect tan. What about the brain? Isn’t intelligence the most valuable beauty? Physical appearance will definitely change over the years, but we will need good physical as well as mental health in order to really be useful and succeed among the jungle of life.

Glad to be here.
November 18, 2012

In the bunch, you will find all sorts, ironically there are very attractive girls and boys that are never satisfied enough (and if so, not for long) on which podium level of beauty they stand and think they own or want to. The beautiful contrasting extreme of these “aching for attention-type” are so much more honorable and successful. Those are the boys and girls who don’t waste time on decorating and reinventing themselves, but place there energy in others and value their growing character and genuine relationships. How is, a person of so called “perfect physical model,” (and lets add plenty of money for perfect stylish clothes) able to save him/herself from wasting time and weeding out losers and scoundrels? By the way, very nice picture created for the article! Who is the beautiful model?

jennyrichards78
February 15, 2013

Well physical appearance can be hidden by our talent. If we present ourselves better nobody is going to beat us. Also we must consider that nobody is perfect.
http://www.imageskincare.com/products/ageless-total-anti-aging-serum-sct

Ashley Berardi
April 16, 2013

First off I’d like to say that I LOVE the picture you chose. For those of you that do not recognize the person in the picture it is the actress Sophia Bush who played Brooke Davis on the television drama One Tree Hill. This picture is actually from an episode where Sophia Bush’s character took this picture to fight against the stereotypes that have been pressured on girls on how their supposed to look in today’s society. In today’s society, a lot of young girls feel pressured from their peers and from the media that if they don’t have a big bust or a nice nose or a flawless face then they are considered “ugly” and therefore resort to doing plastic surgery because they think that’s the answer. These girls fail to realize that plastic surgery can actually harm you if something goes wrong in the procedure and it leaves you in excruciating pain for a couple of days. The surgery is not worth it. Everyone is beautiful in their own way. Nobody’s perfect; everyone has something about their body appearance that they don’t like but trying to change it is like changing who you are. Accept yourself for who you are and love yourself because as the famous singer Lady Gaga says “Baby you were born this way”! There’s also the issue of body complex where as Brittany mentioned some girls try to lose weight through vomiting their food or even inserting a flu virus inside them. Again just like plastic surgery this is just harming your body. Do not follow the bodies you see in the media because those bodies are fake and often photo shopped. If you don’t like your body then you can exercise or eat healthier but vomiting or inserting flu viruses aren’t the answer! Brittany I think you did a great job writing this piece as the one girl who is fighting against these pressured stereotypes and hopefully other girls will be inspired from this piece to not try to change anything about themselves except their self-confidence.

itsYaren
April 17, 2013

It is very true that teenagers nowadays are very conscious about their body. They want to be physically fit but some other teenagers do not do it in a healthy way. Some of them just go to the gym and do some cardio exercises and do not eat anything but salad. That is not healthy at all. They are abusing their God-given body. Our body is God’s creation. Therefore, we should respect our body and treat it in a proper way. It is not about just fruits and vegetables. Our body needs protein and healthy fats too. Teenagers are just peer pressured. They just adopt the fad to be skinny. Teenagers have to appreciate what body type they have learn how to take care of it. This is a must read article. It is such an eye-opener for teenagers.

Khanh Ha
April 23, 2013

The topic of physical appearance has been touched in a personal way which makes the article very convincing. The body directly expresses its thoughts and feelings regarding the suffering and revenge that it experiences. True that physical appearance is important but it does not define everything in lives. Not to be mean or anything but personally I feel sorry for people who constantly complain about their physical appearances because I believe that respect is the most fundamental factor in our social lives, and if you want respect, you have to start with yourself. Only when you accept and respect yourself, you can respect and get respected from people around you.

merrylarren
June 19, 2013

It’s true physical appearance has a great resemblance in today’s world. Talent has got hidden from this physical controversies. Due to this controversies people are coping and advancing themselves to such change.
http://www.fertilemind.com.au/category-manduca-baby-carriers-159.aspx