being positive in the midst of negativity

All right followers, I am switching gears today and heading in the direction of a bit more serious post. As much fun as I had writing the post on "Deal Breakers," today I feel the need to focus on an incredibly serious issue that has been consuming our society little by little in the past few decades. I came across an article on Yahoo! that sparked some inspiration to not only inform you all about the gravity of this issue, but to also ask you to help me in spreading some seriously positive vibes in an effort to counteract the effects this problem is having on the men and women of our society. Let's get to it.

As some of you may know, someone very close to my heart has been battling Anorexia Nervosa and severe Body Dysmorphic Disorder for the past eight years. Together, these illnesses have torn her life, body, and mind, to shreds, as they have pushed her to her most vulnerable state. They work endlessly to convince her to give up and give in to the misery that is living life as an Anorexic. She must fight against these forces each and every day in an effort to experience even the slightest bit of normalcy in life. Normalcy we often take for granted.

Here's a little background information...
For those who are unaware, Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder that is most commonly characterized by an extreme fear of weight gain and the subsequent limiting of food intake or complete starvation. Other characteristics of Anorexia are an obsession with body image, over-exercising, and the use of laxatives to avoid weight gain. It is important to note that Anorexia is more than an eating disorder; it is a mental disorder as well. There is more to treating Anorexia than simply telling the sick to eat, as the eating disorder has become an entirely new way of life for the Anorexic. From what I have learned, the eating disorder, often referred to as "ED" by those in rehabilitation, can be described as a conscience of sorts. "ED" dictates what the individual does, what the individual thinks, what the individual eats, and so on. In other words, the Anorexic relies on "ED" to guide them in making nearly every decision of every day: what to eat, what not to eat, how long to exercise, how many times to exercise each day, etc. In sum, eating disorders are consuming of the mind, body, and soul. If they go undiagnosed and untreated, the consequences can often be dire.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder often coincides with eating disorders. It is a severe obsession with body image and overall physical appearance. An individual with BDD experiences extreme concerns with their body image. Anorexics who are also diagnosed with BDD often view themselves as much larger or heavier than they truly appear. They also tend to fixate on the appearance of others and work to emulate the bodies they believe to be ideal or perfect. Having severe BDD feeds into the eating disorder and can have severe consequences like depression, distress, and even the inability to function in social settings.

Now, I'd like to point out the role our popular culture plays in the cultivation and perpetuation of eating disorders and Body Dysmorphic Disorders in both men and women in our society. More so now than ever before, popular culture and the media completely surround us. We consume a great deal more of it than we often realize.

It is no secret that the images we see in our popular culture appear to be "perfect" or "idyllic." They are beautiful, thin, toned, and tan. They have perfect hair, skin, and teeth. They represent everything our society tells us we are supposed to work to become. However, what so many of us are unaware of are all the strategies and techniques used to make these images appear so flawless. An endless amount of photo-shopping, airbrushing, strategic lighting, and the like go into the creation of these images, ultimately altering them to an unrealistic extent. We then internalize such images and begin to feel as though these images represent the norm; what we must look like in order to become accepted by society. At this point, we tend to think negatively of ourselves, and begin to believe that the only way to be truly happy is to look like the images in the media. This internalization is what can and does lead to Body Dysmorphic Disorders and eating disorders.

Two other facets of our society that work to further the mindset that we must emulate the images we see in the media and popular culture are the fashion and modeling industry. As we all know, models have very specific body types. They are tall, thin, and physically beautiful. Some might say models are "perfect." We tend to see these models as being the supreme, ideal human being, and begin to believe that we need to do everything in our power to look like them. Again, seeing and internalizing these images tend to make us feel negatively about ourselves, and can eventually drive us to do whatever necessary to look like the images we see all around us.

However, many people are unaware of the fact that both the fashion and modeling industries have been under serious fire for their use of underage, unhealthy, frail models on the runway and in print. Such uproar has been due to the deaths of various models in their pursuit to adhere to the standards of the industry in which they work. Many magazines and designers have responded by vowing to make changes in their hiring processes, meaning they have agreed to only use models that have met specific health requirements. This is quite a large step in this industry, but as we all know, saying something and doing something are two entirely different things.

This is where the Yahoo! article comes into play. This afternoon I was browsing the articles on their homepage when I came across one titled, "H&M Plus Size Model Jennie Runk Puts Unexpected Fame to Good Use." This article discusses the rise in popularity of Jennie Runk, a plus size model that was used in a swimwear ad campaign for the popular clothing store, H&M. The ad campaign featured Runk in a variety of swimwear, both bikinis and one piece suits, strutting her stuff on the beach. As the article states, this particular campaign is unique for a couple of reasons. One, H&M is generally known for its use of incredibly thin and toned models in both their print and commercial advertising, and two, rather than bury the advertisement in some obscure place of the website, they proudly displayed the campaign, only referencing "plus size" when the customer clicked on the ad itself and was brought to the plus size subsection (Yahoo! 2013).
The article continues by mentioning the positivity that has come as a result of Jennie Runk and her photos in the H&M advertisements. Since her unexpected rise to fame, Runk has harnessed such positivity and written an essay that works to promote positive body image and the idea that everyone is beautiful regardless of their body type. According to Yahoo!, "Runk's mission is to disassociate the word 'fat' with plus-size, pointing out that women deemed plus-size actually reflect the American national average..." (Yahoo! 2013). The article concludes with a few words of wisdom from Runk, herself, "There's no need to glamorize one body type and slam another. We need to stop this absurd hatred towards bodies for being different sizes" (Yahoo! 2013).


If we are to continue this positivity, and aid in Runk's mission, changes need to be made. First and foremost, we need to begin by accepting ourselves; mind, body, and soul. In turn, the fashion and modeling industries need to follow through with their commitment to adhere to health requirements, and the popular culture and media industry need to begin projecting images that truly reflect our society; images like those of Runk within H&M's swimwear ad. I truthfully believe that making such changes will directly correlate with a decrease in eating disorders and mental illnesses of the like within our society.

So, I leave you all with this: you can read this and go on to continue living your life the way it is, or you can make a change and begin spreading body positivity. If you are comfortable in your own skin, try to help a friend or family member become comfortable in theirs. Everyone deserves to be comfortable with who they are. I believe accepting yourself is one of the true keys to happiness, and everyone deserves to be happy.


 Yahoo's article on Jennie Runk