When Skinny Is Not Skinny Enough

Hi,

Something that I've been thinking alot about recently is body image and how the media is affecting our self esteem.

I am 155 cm (5 foot) and I weigh 33 kg (73 pounds). You don't need to be an expert on BMI to know that I'm extremely underweight. I have a lot of health problems because of how little body fat I have and I know that I need to gain weight, but when I look in the mirror, I don't see myself as thin.

As a dancer, I have very toned legs and abdominals, but the muscle tone that I was once so proud of, I now find myself wishing did not exist. Of legs that do not change width the whole way down, where I used to see thin thighs, I now see big calves. Of a stomach with a raised abdominal structure, where I used to see abs, I now see a layer of fat.

2 years ago, if you had asked me if I thought the media had an impact on my self esteem and body image, I would have shortly and confidently said no. But now, who else do I have to blame for my sudden drop in self esteem? The people around me are no skinnier than I am, but the celebrities I see in magazines... well thats a different story. Their thighs and calves seem as skinny as my wrist, their stomachs seem as flat as a board, and they look beautiful. I know that these celebrities  put enormous pressure on their bodies in order to achieve a stick figure, some sticking to a diet consisting only of liquids, but a small part of me wants to be as thin as these people.

I want to stress that I would never act on the whim to become super thin. Being as thin as some models and celebrities is not healthy and is not what we should see as the perfect body type. Humans are programmed to strive for perfection, but the media has changed our view of what perfection really is.

No matter what your gender, age or size is, we can all have self esteem issues. I am the last person that you would expect to want to be thinner, but even if I am skinny, in the eyes of the media, I will never be skinny enough. This is something that we can change.

You are beautiful just the way you are and no magazine article can change that.

If you have any feedback, suggestions, tips or questions, I would love to read them in the comments below.

Thats all from me

Dancer Free xx