“Teens & Tweens”: Positive Body Image, One Workout At A Time

“Teens & Tweens” provides an “06880” voice for Westport youth. Today, rising junior Madeline Johnson writes about body image:

Growing up, like most girls, I played with Barbie dolls. However, along with sparking my imagination, this playtime activity also made me self conscious about my body.

I did not look like a Barbie. My body also did not look like the models in Vogue or on Instagram. 

This led me to believe that the way the models looked was the only standard of beauty. 

Madeline Johnson (nearest the ball), playing rec soccer at age 4.

I didn’t realize that Barbie’s unrealistic proportions were impossible to obtain, and I began comparing myself to these superficial images. As a generation, us girls have adopted a body and beauty standard from the images showcased in the media. 

As a multi-sport athlete, I train year-round by weightlifting in order to keep my body healthy, and in shape to perform at a high level.

With that, my physique is not slim like the models that I see, but rather strong. I have soccer thighs, which I work hard for and am proud of. It’s taken me a long time to understand that about myself, and the images I see of women in the media have not helped me.

Madeline Johnson with her club soccer team, CFC.

It was only when I saw other athletes I looked up to, like more senior girls on Staples varsity soccer and lacrosse, my coaches, and the female athletes in all sports who proudly represent their countries with their strong and powerful bodies, that I started to appreciate my own.

Because most of the images I see in the media do not represent me, I still have to work hard to find positive images to aspire to.

Madeline Johnson, on the Staples lacrosse team.

If I could communicate one message about Barbie and negative body image, I’d stress the need for self-acceptance. Even though Mattel has created diversity within the Barbie products they are selling, and the media has become slightly more diverse, there is still a long way to go before women feel represented and accepted in society. 

Young girls and women of all ages are beautiful just as they are. As a society we must work to abolish, or at least expand the existing beauty standard.

In the meantime, I’ll be at the gym. 

(“Teens & Tweens” is an open forum for Westport youth. You can write about anything: good or bad, happy or sad, your passions and dreams, your thoughts about your life and community. You can use your name, or be anonymous. You can also submit artwork, videos or other media. If interested, email 06880blog@gmail.com.)