Sherrie talks about how looking perfect should mean looking the way you're the happiest.
Growing up in a community of fast food and more fast food, it was always so hard for me to look 'perfect'. I was brought up in a family who always went to eat out and never got healthy food. Being out of shape was really hurting me, not anyone else. I spent a lot of my time feeling ashamed of my body. Honestly, I felt like a big 'blob' because I didn't look like a Barbie doll. People around me made me feel so insecure and would always judge me.
One day, I realized that all of these feelings and insecurities stopped my thought process about what I wanted to do with my life. When I was trying to determine my purpose in life, these negative sentiments were a hindrance. All the family drama I was dealing with was getting to my head. My hero, my last hope, my only friend I found for life has been coffee. It taught me that I can eat anything or drink anything and not care about what others perceive about me. It helped me enjoy myself.
"Looking perfect should mean looking the way you're the happiest."
I wanted to get the real me back. Instead of being the perfect hourglass symbol for someone else, I decided to start dieting for myself. As soon as I started losing some weight, I kept drinking coffee to maintain my spirits, and didn't eat much. My diet had changed from sweets and sugars, to salads and sandwiches. Something I never thought I would or could do became my hobby. Working out everyday made me feel like I have important personal goals to accomplish.
Now, here I am in a town still where there are still a bunch of fast food restaurants with no healthy entertainment, like sports or casual athletics. Then, I knew that my environment could have been the root cause for my troubles, not me. I needed to actively counter the effects my environment was causing.
I do believe it's hard for girls because they see themselves as needing to be like a Barbie doll. However, this isn't how life should be. Life should be about feeling healthy on the inside, and being proud of yourself.
People struggle in this world because of the way society forms a staunch public opinion, which is wrong. Not everyone has the same belief or perspective, so when looking perfect equates to unhappiness, then what's the point in looking perfect? Looking perfect should mean looking the way you're the happiest.
*Prompt taken from New York Times list of argumentative topics. This article is purely the opinion and experiences of the writer. By no means does it intend to influence your decisions.