Now if you're expecting to see some sort of nudie pictures, then I'm afraid you've come to the wrong place. After reading Emily Ratajkowski's extract in Lena Dunham's newsletter, I felt compelled to share my thoughts on a very relevant topic- body shaming. This post has been a long time coming and when Vogue released the below statement a few weeks back, I knew it was time.
"The cleavage – those magnificent mounds pushed together to display sexual empowerment, to seduce, to inspire lust or even just to show off – is over, or at least, taking a well-earned break."
Growing up I was constantly referred to as an early bloomer, with the women in my family telling me to 'watch myself' and be careful of the way that I dressed- older boys like breasts, don't ya know? As I flicked through fashion magazines, I saw women parading around with plenty of skin on show and it made me wonder; breasts are beautiful, but why aren't mine? These conversations have planted themselves firmly in my head, and to this day I choose my outfits depending on their level of chestiness. As a woman in her early 20's I shouldn't be made to feel the need to cover up, I should feel confident in myself and have no qualms about flashing some flesh- it's sad, really.
Now by no means am I condoning the sexualisation of teenagers, however young women shouldn't be made to feel ashamed of the assets that they were born with. Just because people may take a second glance at the girl with her chest on show, it doesn't mean that it's wrong.. Women have spent centuries fighting for the right to act in ways that represent themselves as individuals, so why shouldn't we be able to dress in a way that makes us happy? Forget comparisons, forget what other people with think, wear something that makes you feel fierce.
Being womanly should be about being confident and proud of the skin that you're in- whether or not that is daring to bare, then who cares? We shouldn't penalise one another for the way that our bodies look, or how we choose to display them. Just because Vogue says that the cleavage-era is over, don't feel compelled to abide by the rules. I challenge you all to celebrate your bodies, no matter what shape or size, put on your favourite outfit and embrace being a woman.
So agree with you here! I´m lucky in the way that I was never an early bloomer & that my parents always were kind of open with me. So I was never made to feel ashamed of myself. I remember being very conscious about how much of my cleavage was showing though. I guess it´s a thing that society implements in young girls that we´re just supposed to lose again once we´re in our 20ies because then showing off cleavage is suddenly beautiful & expected of you. I don´t think society should force anyone to feel a certain way about their body. Everyone should dress exactly the way they want. Rather than teaching young girls that showing too much flesh we should teach boys not to harass the girls for it!
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