We might have made some progress when it comes to body positivity, but trust me when I say we still have a long way to go. By now you've probably heard of unhealthy body trends like thigh gap and bikini bridge. The latest on the list of concerning weight-related labels is called "ribcage- bragging." WTF, right? There are a bunch of celebs out there posting bikini pics showing off their rib cage because apparently that's a sign of being skinny and cute.
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You probably haven't realized it yet, but I bet you money there's at least one celeb on your Instagram feed showing off their rib cage. Everyone is doing it from Bella Hadid, Kourtney Kardashian to even Demi Lovato. If you're wondering what the allure is, apparently peeps are seeing it as a sign of being thin, fit and in shape.
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Honestly, when did visible rib cages become a sign of health or beauty? I'm not trying to hate on anyone's body, but the truth is trends like this deeply effect the way young girls perceive their own bodies.
In fact, according to the American Psychological Association, the sexualization of women in the media is harmful to girls. And images like these rib cage bragging ones can even increase the chances of a young girl or woman developing an eating disorder. So just think about the harmful message we are sending young girls when photos like this are posted. We are glorifying being skinny and telling them that a visible rib cage is a body ideal.
Whether celebs like it or not, girls and young women look to them as beauty icons and in many cases want to imititate their looks. Rib cage bragging is not the kind of beauty look anyone should be wanting to replicate. It's not realistic or even attainable for many women, and it's certaintly not a healthy body goal to have.
As women, we really need to learn to be kinder to ourselves and our bodies. Part of that is not glorifying body trends like this, that eventually set standards. Plus, if there's one thing that gorgeous, plus-size model Ashley Graham has taught us, is that you don't need to be model-thin to be gorgeous and sexy.
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Image via bellahadid/Instagram
