The Inconclusive Discussion on Stereotypes

When pictures of singer and Cinderella star Camila Cabello in a bikini went viral, many women came to her defense, stating that talking about a woman's body was nobody's business.

Criticizing women's looks and expecting them to look perfect, especially if they are female celebrities, is nothing new. Thankfully, we now live in a generation where girls challenge stereotypes. Camila was lucky because a couple of years ago, the story would have been different.

In 2007, for example, Britney Spears performed her song "Gimme More" at the MTV VMAs. She wore a black bra and panties showing her figure for the presentation. However, she was criticized for her body. Britney had to deal with all of the backlash by herself. Back then, only a few would speak up against judging a woman's body.

With the help of social media, now many girls and teens join forces to support movements like the ones who talk about self-love. One of the most popular ones is body positivity. Although there are different opinions regarding this revolution, the majority agree that women don't need to fulfill unrealistic beauty standards.

On the other hand, others criticize the movement and assure that it promotes unhealthy practices like "encouraging" obesity. Either way, there's one thing all girls can agree with, and that is, we are all in this together.

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The sorority has resulted from years of confronting unfair stereotypes of women that force them to be sexy but innocents and pure but mature at the same time. These contradictions come from people who have taken advantage of this movement to make women confront each other.

The body positivity movement started in 1996 and looked to impulse body diversity, mainly because this kind of attitude significantly boosts self-esteem and women's confidence. One of the biggest activists of this movement is the plus-size model Ashley Graham, who has used her platform to inspire millions of girls to love themselves and be more confident.

The so-called "traditional" beauty standards are now a thing of the past. Although all of the processes society has achieved throughout this body revolution are impressive, there are still new challenges to overcome.

For example, the filters and edited pictures and videos people share on social media are sometimes far from their true appearance. These images on social media with flawless skin, a perfect body, and even a different type of eye color, thanks to the filters, are causing severe disorders such as anxiety and depression.

Sadly, body-shaming has become a popular practice to humiliate and put down others. As proof of it, internet trolls accused Camila Cabello of being "too fat" while criticizing Olivia Rodrigo for being "too skinny." There's no safe space for women because people will always voice their opinions about others' bodies no matter how they look.

It is now more important than ever to join forces and encourage each other to normalize natural bodies. Nevertheless, learning how to identify eating disorders such as bulimia or anorexia, it's also essential to prevent these unhealthy standards from becoming a trend. Health professionals are the only ones who can identify these disorders and their treatments. As social media users, we can promote respect and empathy by simply encouraging each other.