Like almost every young child, I absolutely adored Disney Movies growing up. All I wanted was to be a princess like Rapunzel, Snow White and Cinderella. Even from that early age, I knew I could never be like them. What was the one thing all Disney princesses had in common? They were all skinny.

It is difficult to escape the “ideal” body image we created as a society. According to Family Doctor, children as young as three are prone to developing body image issues. Those young children are the target demographic for Disney movies. Constantly seeing your favorite characters who look nothing like you is never a good feeling for anyone, child or not. Negative connotation with one’s body can lead to issues like eating disorders and body dysmorphia. According to Polaris Teen Center, 2.7% of teens in the U.S. between the ages of thirteen and eighteen years old have diagnosed eating disorders.

These terrible examples of how the female body “should look” does not stop after childhood. As stated from a survey by the National Library of Medicine, 54% of girls stated that images posted on social media platforms have caused them to worry about their own bodies. All we constantly see is girls with slim waists, big boobs and no stomach.

As children age, their peers start to play a bigger role in reinforcing what the “ideal” body should look like. Bullies, no matter what age, tend to target and focus on people who do not fit their perfect idea of being “normal,” Part of this demographic is plus-sized individuals. If our peers, family, and the entire internet do not accept our appearances as “normal,” who will?

There is no definite way of fixing this problem, but there are ways we can improve it. We need to change the way we discuss our bodies. Dieting, exercising for weight loss and other methods of making your body more “attractive” are terrible to talk about when discussing improving ourselves. Body image is a major part of our self esteem. Negative feelings about appearances are known to lead to mental issues like anxiety and depression. As a society, we need to band together and learn to love ourselves the way we are so we can begin to love each other.