Born to be Real not Perfect
” I don’t want my future child to grow up in an environment where they have to worry about how people view them, or how they view themselves,” junior Brian Kunst said.
To be human doesn’t mean to be skinny, it doesn’t mean to have curves, and it doesn’t mean to be over six foot. We are meant to be diverse; we are not meant to be perfect. That’s how we thrive and how we remain the most intelligent organisms on earth.
Despite the belief that we aren’t made to be perfect we continue to attempt to find someone who is. That person is never ourselves; rather, we look to others for this unattainable fate. The fact of the matter is that seven billion humans will never agree that one female and one male match the definition of perfect because it is simply a myth.
“I definitely think that everybody should be accepted for who they are no matter what,” freshman Hannah Blanchette said.
“I think people find things more beautiful if they don’t have it,” senior Olivia Adeszko said. “Whether it’s an object or a physical feature, people always want what they don’t have. Even though someone else would love to have what they have.”
We continue shame ones who don’t look “ideal.” We tell them they’re too skinny, too tall, too short, too heavy, or even too bulky. Yet when asked to describe a “perfect” female and male we are incapable of doing so. The majority of us could agree that a certain celebrity like Gal Gadot and Zac Efron are close to being “perfect.” However, if you scroll through their Instagram, there are plenty of people who think otherwise.
“My idea of ‘perfection’ is that it’s something that we chase as humans and strive to achieve but will never obtain,” junior Holt Puckett said. “There will always be haters because even if you have a great personality and the perfect body there will always be someone that doesn’t view you the same.”
“Everybody should be proud of their body no matter what,” senior Michael Marro said.
When your fellow classmates were asked to describe a “perfect” human, they couldn’t do it: some described a person who didn’t exist, others ignored the question, and gave a heartwarming statement falsifying the idea that a “perfect” human is out there.
“I wish I could say that my image of ‘perfection’ was more diverse, but sadly, what I see in social media really makes me feel that being thin is the ideal body type,” sophomore Emma Rogers said. “Personally, I’m not thin, but most of my Instagram includes posts about body image.”
Other students felt that the ideal body does not exist. It isn’t skinny or curvy–it’s a myth.
“There is no one perfect body image for either gender because people can view themselves as perfect, but others will disagree,” sophomore Michael Mckenna said. “As long as you care what you look like then you should have self-satisfaction.”
While promoting the idea that perfection does not exist is still a contribution to this movement, others want to see different body types portrayed in the media.
“We need to start including other portrayals of the human body in media; there’s no right or wrong body type,” freshman Ariel Doyle said. “We’re all human.”
“My niece Reagan (pictured above) is an amazing little 3 year old, she never has any worries in her perfect world,” freshman Claire Pfaff said. “I want Reagan to love every inch of her body, from head to toe, because she is perfect, just like everyone else on this planet.”
Just like any discussion, there are always two sides, while most think being healthy means being happy, others are more focused on physical health, and the idea that being underweight or overweight shouldn’t be glamorized.
“Body empowerment is quite stupid,” freshman Florian Pasek said. “It encourages people to shy away from perfection and encourages an unhealthy lifestyle, especially the so-called “Fat Acceptance Movement”
“Who cares if you eat fast food every day,” junior Wilke Marciola said. “Live your life.”
Our society hasn’t been able to agree for more than a decade what the “ideal” body is supposed to look like. Our standards are constantly changing, it could take one a decade to get close to that “stick skinny” figure that was popular in the 90’s, but by the time they have achieved that, “stick skinny” won’t be in, curves will be.
“It certainly has changed depending on what you want to say for years. If you go back for hundreds of years you will see larger people being considered more desirable because it was associated with wealth,” York social studies teacher Timothy Albert said. “And for women, in particular, it has changed back and forth.”
No one is capable of looking “perfect” to a society that cannot agree on what a “perfect” human looks like. So how about this, instead of listening to the critiques and to the haters, we listen to our hearts. We no longer take into consideration the statement the buff guy at the gym whispered to his friend. Instead, we stand tall and strong in front of a mirror smiling because we now realize that being “perfect” isn’t possible, but being ourselves, and being human is. Love yourself, and the rest of the world will follow.
Annika is a junior who is taking on her first year on staff. Writing has quickly become an interest of her's as it allows her to release her feelings and...
