What do you think about your body? How do you feel about it right now? How much has your upbringing affected the way you think about yourself?
Maybe the secret to acceptance, self-love and body positivity lies deep within the roots of our rich world history. Maybe we don’t need to reinvent the wheel - just look back and see what we’ve ignored or left behind.
Take Arati Gupta, for example. Born in Canada but true to her deep Indian heritage, the first thing you notice about her is her astounding inner peace. “My name means prayer”, she says and we don’t even bother looking it up - we believe her.
True to her indian roots, Arati recently took the time to teach us how Indian tradition shapes the way women think about their bodies and their attitudes, peeling away the layers of their personalities to reveal their true, inner selves. And by being real, 100% true to who you really are, the rest comes easily: acceptance, love for one’s body and, ultimately, love and support for all the other women you share the world with.
Her message is truly inspiring and can be found in the video below (or scroll down for a full transcript):
There you have it. Tradition and upbringing play a huge part in how we perceive ourselves and, plot twist, not all cultures are constantly blasting seemingly impossible female body beauty ideals during their beer commercials. Who knew?
Some cultures and religions even honor the body for its innate magnificence, marvelling at how each tendon, muscle and articulation function as cogs in a very complex, well-oiled machine. Others go even further, teaching us about the importance of inner beauty, personality and attitude.
How has your own culture and traditions shaped how you perceive your own body and sense of self?
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