5 Reasons 2015 Was The Year Of Body Positivity For All Women
The vision of women’s beauty has completely altered through the years.
In the '50, the Marilyn Monroe era showed off major curves.
Then, the '90s changed all that when Kate Moss showed us her Calvin Kleins and made skinny the new trend.
That may have stuck around for a while, but it's no longer the case.
The strong is beautiful movement of 2015 embraces chiseled abs, sculpted arms and strong quads that may or may not have a thigh gap.
Beauty, like any other trend, evolves with time.
The year of 2015 proved different body types are what we now view as beautiful.
1. Famous ladies have led by example.
This term can portray several different types of women, whether they are entertainers, athletes, diplomats or our mothers and sisters.
These different women impact how we view ourselves.
Athletes such as Holly Holm, Ronda Rousey and Serena Williams prove that strength and fierceness — in the octagon or on the court — can be incredibly sexy and powerful.
Amy Schumer embraced everything about herself and used it as material in her self-deprecating humor.
She tackled haters and body issues head-on.
To me, that is truly beautiful and empowering.
It’s nice to know that young women can grow up believing a thigh gap isn’t necessary when defining beauty.
But, if you do have one, rock on.
2. Social media proves strong is the new skinny.
If you look at your Pinterest or Instagram feed, there will be more “fitspo” images than “thinspo.”
Fitness and looking healthy have now become synonymous with what looks good to the masses.
Brands that have been household names for years have advertisements with women exerting themselves in different athletic events, showing off perfectly defined muscles.
Lifting is now a symbol of femininity.
Strong quads, chiseled abs and defined arms are all considered part of the curves of a woman.
A woman’s curves are not only sexy, but they are also a sign of physical strength and personal discipline.
As Ronda Rousey says, “Skinny girls look good in clothes, but fit chicks look good naked.”
3. Women are showcasing their scars instead of hiding them.
Through outlets such as Instagram and Twitter, women have embraced their own personal beauty marks.
Chrissy Teigen's Instagram post showing off her “stretchies” set off a whirlwind of positive feedback from countless women.
Commenters didn’t just embrace the Sports Illustrated model’s stretch marks; they applauded them.
4. Women are battling the haters head-on.
So many people have no fear when throwing shade at others, especially when they're sitting behind a computer screen.
Thankfully, we have people like Ariel Winter, Gigi Hadid and Jennifer Lawrence to shut down the haters.
Lawrence, a woman who has been criticized for her weight for years, said it best when discussing body-shamers during a "Hunger Games" Q&A:
You look like you look, and be comfortable. What are you going to do be hungry every single day to make other people happy? That's just dumb [...] I love to eat."
Amen, sister. You’re preaching to the choir.
5. In 2015, we mostly learned to love ourselves.
More than ever, women have been encouraged to appreciate what they see in the mirror.
Amy Schumer said it best when she posted her picture from her 2016 Pirelli Calendar shoot on her Instagram:
Beautiful, gross, strong, thin, fat, pretty, ugly, sexy, disgusting, flawless, woman.
We are all of those things, so why not relish in all that is woman?
