Written by Bea M.
Artwork by Lia D. and Regina M.
Amarela PH launched its first ever video series, entitled “Amarela Asks 100”. The video series serves as a platform for people to freely share their experiences, thoughts, and opinions on different matters. Through this, people are able to carry on and spread the advocacy on women’s rights, body positivity, sex normalization, the right to bodily autonomy, and other issues affecting the welfare of women everywhere. The organization went on a task of asking a hundred women of different ages the question, “What do you love about yourself?” Participants were asked to send a short video answering the said question in however way they wanted to interpret it.
Self-love can be defined differently by each individual but generally, it means learning to love oneself. Society has now been shaped in such a way that people, especially women, always feel the need to conform to different standards and expectations on how they should act, look, or think. It is being embedded in their minds that they need to fit in to these to be worthy of love and respect. People tend to go the extra mile and force themselves to feel content by trying to achieve perfectionism. As a consequence, people end up being too hard on themselves in the process. Self-love requires acceptance and realising that there is nothing wrong with making mistakes or having flaws. In fact, each flaw a person has just makes them even more unique.
With the continuous growth of social media, it has become a platform that reinforces strong views on how one should look. Individuals tend to look into others’ “perfect” images which makes them feel worse about themselves. Everyone deserves to have a positive body image regardless of how society and media presents ideal size, shape, and appearance. Women should know that a healthy body comes in all shapes and sizes. Body positivity is a movement that aims to challenge unrealistic feminine beauty standards with the hopes of spreading across a message that all bodies are beautiful. It includes appreciating one’s body in spite of its flaws and accepting that it will undergo changes that occur naturally to everyone.
With this, Amarela PH created a proficient platform that will hopefully foster a community of acceptance, appreciation, and love for one’s self. Participants were given a certificate of consent stating the terms of participation in the project and those under the age of 18 years old were asked to have their legal guardian’s consent. The video series is posted in the organization’s different social media accounts such as Instagram and Facebook. The fight for women’s rights and the advocacy for women empowerment does not stop here. Remember, the fight of women’s rights is the fight of all.
Sources:
Khan, Zubayer Zakir. “The Importance of Self-Love.” The Daily Star, 7 Jan. 2019, www.thedailystar.net/lifestyle/reader’s-chit/news/the-importance-self-love-1684162.
Torrisi, Juliet. “Body Image - Self Esteem - Influence of Society.” Medium, Medium, 8 June 2018, medium.com/@juliettorrisi1/body-image-self-esteem-influence-of-society-565df66ac155.
Cherry, Kendra. “Why Body Positivity Is Important.” Verywell Mind, 25 Feb. 2020, www.verywellmind.com/what-is-body-positivity-4773402.
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