Angela, thank you so much for your amazing comment. You rock, girl!

I so agree. Beauty standards are so unrealistic that it’s impossible to ever achieve them. But being healthy is totally possible and what we should all strive for. It’s incredible what this shift in mindset can help us achieve, isn’t it?

So what if we don’t look perfect? We look like us, and that’s so much better! 🙂

On another note, I’ve heard people say that they work hard to have their healthy, fit bodies, and I absolutely applaud them. But for some, no matter how much they work out and how much weight they lose and muscle they build, those stretch marks and flab will still be there on their belly. They can be healthy and toned, but still “imperfect” in the eyes of those who are critical. I used to use this as an excuse to not get in better shape, because I knew my body would never be perfect anyway. But now I’m working toward being healthier and trimmer while accepting my so-called imperfections.

My advice to women is do what you can to make yourself healthy, accept the results and learn to LOVE your body as a part of the amazing YOU. And go out there and rock that bikini in a way that no one else in the world can!! ❤️?

Realist, thank you for your comment. While being thin and healthy may not be an impossible ideal for everyone, the definition of thin promoted by the media certainly is. We’re supposed to have tiny waists but big breasts, thigh gaps, no cellulite, no stretch marks… the list goes on.

This ideal also doesn’t take into consideration that being thin does not mean healthy. In fact, there are plenty of people who are thin and unhealthy and plenty of people who are overweight and healthy. What makes you healthy or unhealthy is not so much the amount of weight you carry on your body, but the habits you follow. An overweight person who follows a healthy diet and exercises regularly will be a lot more healthy than a thin person who barely hit to fit into a size 0.

You’re also assuming that everyone who is overweight doesn’t care about her body. Have you ever considered the fact that weight gain could have many other causes? Many medications and medical treatments, for example, make you put on weight. How can you tell, when you see an overweight woman on the street if she’s indulging in junk food or battling cancer? You can’t, which is why this body shaming attitude needs to stop.

But even if someone is neglecting her body, filling it with a lot of unhealthy food and refusing to exercise, it’s often not because she’s lazy or because fries taste better than a salad, Often these people find comfort in food for deeper psychological and emotional issues. Issues that have to be dealt with with love and compassion. The truth is that you can’t take good care of yourself if you don’t love yourself. And it’s very difficult to love yourself when everyone around you is treating you like a pariah because of your weight.

I understand that you want your kids to be proud of their bodies and be healthy, but you need to widen your definition of health and realise that there may be many reasons why people put on weigt. Otherwise, you risk to influence your kids in the opposite direction and make their self-esteem be so reliant on their weight, they’re going to go on super strict diets, use laxatives, and pursue weight loss in very dangerous and harmful ways.

Finally, I don’t need to ask men what a bikini body is for them. It’s irrelevant. A woman’s body is her property, not men’s properties. Men don’t have a say in how women look, just like women don’t have a say in how men look. Women should strive to reach their goes and dreams, not worry about how attractive men find them in a bikini.

Poonpo, glad to hear that!