This. Is. Important.

There's a difference between pretty and beautiful. Pretty is wearing make-up, dressing nice, looking good. Pretty is what everyone else sees you as. Beautiful is much, much more. Everyone is beautiful. It doesn't matter what size, skin tone, height you are; it’s who you are that matters. Your contagious smile is beautiful, the way you light up the room is beautiful, your actions are beautiful.

There's a problem that I'd like to discuss. There's a pandemic. It's serious. It's affecting everyone. It starts small, and it grows in your mind. At first, you don't realize it, but slowly, as it sets in, you'll begin to see it. Yet, it'll be too late when you realize it for what it truly is. You won't call out for help. You'll think you can handle it, but then, you're sitting by the toilet heaving up your dinner. You think no one will notice when you pass up eating your favorite lunch. Before you know it, you're part of the affected. You've become the next victim.

It's very easy to fall into the spiral, most people don't notice it. It doesn't take much to start it, no one has to say anything. It just takes one bad day. So, what is this it? It's body issues.

Here's a problem: some girls hate the way they look. They hate that they are "fat" (when compared to other people). Where does this problem come from? From decades old thoughts. The thought that beautiful and skinny are synonymous. You can only feel beautiful when you're skinny, otherwise you're not worth it. It stems from mothers lathering their dark-skinned daughter with whitening cream because you can not be beautiful unless you're "fair". Girls hate their bodies because we're taught to. Our mothers, our fathers, our siblings, our family, our friends, the internet- they all play roles in how we see ourselves. I am not blaming our families and friends, but I am showing them that we need to change our thoughts and our views. There are many messed up things happening, and it's time someone said something.

Here I go.

Growing up in the Desi culture and surrounded by the American society, I can confidently say that body image is important all around the world, and it's only growing. It may not be our parents, it may not be our friends, and it may not be our siblings, it may be strangers. Yeah, isn't that weird, a stranger calling you "fat", a stranger calling you "ugly.” Someone who doesn't even know your last name gets to judge you? You don't have to know this stranger, or you may know them. They may be the voice inside your head when you look at the photoshopped picture of the super model. Or when you look at the Kardashian's Instagram and realize you'll never look like that. You don't have enough money or time to make the "perfect" body, but where did this voice come from? Did he always live in your head? Or did he move in one day? Neither, he grew in your head. He was planted in your head, and was slowly watered, and cared for until it's there.

How did it get there? Well there are several ways. It can be a family member’s subtle mentioning how we've gained weight since school started, or since you've moved away. (Even though you're not really fat, I promise). Or it could be worse. It could be an Aunty, whose only goal is to show-up and create havoc. This ones the weirdest. Because though you should never comment about someone’s weight unless it’s teetering to the side of unhealthy eating and obesity; a random aunty coming up to you and telling you “you've put on weight” is not okay. It's weird. Also, it’s wrong. It's not okay, it's not okay for you to walk up and tell me about my weight, especially if you don't know what's going on. If I gain weight and it's unhealthy, then I have a mom and a family who will be there for me, not you, so please leave it alone. And maybe it's not weight, maybe it's muscle. And maybe it's because I want to because it's my body,and I'll do whatever the hell I want to do.  

Now that that's discussed, let’s also realize that anorexia and bulimia, are not taboo subjects. Don't beat around the bush, don't say it doesn't exist, because it does. It creeps in your mind. It creeps into the minds of our sisters, daughters, and girls, but we sweep them under the carpet and turn our back because it's not an actual sickness. But it is. And it needs a doctor and attention. Start the conversation. You'll be surprised how many girls have sat by their toilet contemplating vomiting, you'll be surprised how many meals a girl will skip to look good. Start the conversation. Talk about it. Fight the disease, don't let it kill us.