Okay ladies and gents, let us have a conversation about body image and body positivity.

I am sure most of you have seen the photo of Rihanna with her gorgeous teal hair and shimmering outfit. If you have seen it, then I am sure you agree that she looks absolutely fabulous as it is the photo she herself posted. But, of course, what goes best with body positivity? Fat shaming.

Rihanna has gained some weight recently, and I personally think she looks absolutely amazing. She has a gorgeous full figure to compliment her amazing voice and facial structure (in case you cannot tell, I am a bit in love with Riri). However, tons of people have been coming at her for that infamous teal-haired photo, claiming she “photoshopped” herself into looking curvy instead of fat.

I am so sick and tired of reading these comments and posts about her body image.

First off, women do not have to be stick thin. Second off, women do not have to have big lips, big boobs, a big ass, and a tiny waist to be attractive. If you do, GREAT! But if not, that is okay too.

I am not trying to be preachy here. So many people write about their body image issues and coming to terms with loving themselves. I have already written about that. I think I am my sexiest after a workout when my muscles are more defined and I feel sore. Not everybody is like that.

No, I am here to talk about angles and photos. Nobody is going to willingly post of photo where they do not feel like a million bucks. Men accuse women of taking too many pictures and trying too hard to look attractive in their posts. So what? Let them. In a world where body positivity MALE OR FEMALE is in such short demand, we need some confidence boosts! If taking 300 selfies to find the perfect one is what makes a girl feel confident, if posting a photo to get compliments is what makes a girl feel confident, LET HER BE!

For photo reference, here is me at a great angle while sitting and a not so great angle. I do not let myself get discouraged by the second picture. You should not either.

Additionally, this goes the other way too. If you compliment someone, male or female, and they say “thanks” or “I know” or something that shows off their security with their body, LET THEM SHINE! It probably took them years to build up their confidence. It probably took them years to be able to say “thank you” instead of “shut up, no I do not.”

We need to stop being a world that judges people based on their size, or shape, or confidence level. We need to stop being a world that has such painfully high expectations that we will never be pleased with ourselves or our partners. There is always room for improvement, true, but if someone likes where they are, LET THEM BE! You do not need to point out every minor flaw in a person.

To tie back to my girl Rihanna, so many people posted photos of her from unflattering angles, leading to accusations of photoshop and lying. I would like to see those people have people take photos of them from unflattering angles and then post them. Chances are, they would not do it. Rihanna is a real, curvy woman who does not need to impress anyone. And guess what? All other curvy women are real, curvy women who do not need to impress anyone, and need to stop trying.

There will always be ridiculous expectations out there, but you need to be true to yourself and be confident in who you are. You are not the only person with your body type. You are not the only person who takes 300 photos to find one to post. You are not the only person who does not feel like going to the gym today and eats ice cream instead. There are so many people out there who are just like you who will not judge you for how you look.

Be confident in your body. Be confident in yourself. Do not let anybody’s comments tear you down, because chances are, they take 300 selfies too and you think they always look like that when they do not.

Everybody needs to understand that social media promotes ideals and perfect lifestyles. When I was dating my ex-boyfriend, nobody knew we had problems based off of the photos I was posting. So, when we broke up, it shocked the world. But social media does not show every aspect of every life. I certainly feel like I can make improvements in my body, but I post my best photos right after I work out when I have great definition. It is the same as girls who photograph at an angle to show off their ass, or guys who claim they are not flexing, but are.

Social media can be a confidence booster, but be wary. Once you have confidence in yourself, you will not need other’s validation. But, until then, keep posting those amazing selfies and taking photos at all your good angles. You are not alone, nobody lives a perfect lifestyle. Even the photos of Rihanna prove that there are bad angles for everybody.