'Girls must have thigh gaps to be normal..'

Hey guys! For today's society dictates post, I'm going to be discussing how the idea of thigh gaps has corrupted the image of a 'perfect figure' for girls. 

 
(source: www.cardiotrek.ca)

This media hyped obsession has become a lot more of an issue amongst teenage girls recently. Girls are becoming more and more obsessed with having the 'perfect figure' that they're going to any lengths in order to achieve these outrageous goals. This includes anything from starving themselves to diets and other alternatives. 

I came across this topic when I had a tumblr account. No matter who I followed, there would always be these images of thigh gaps appearing on my newsfeed and it didn't surprise me at all as to where so many girls get their ideas from. Tumblr promotes so many negative images of how girls should be and portray them as 'super skinny' with thigh gaps. This can be so damaging to any girl's self-esteem when they look in the mirror and don't see what they see online. They see something completely different, it's called being normal. Not super skinny, not having a thigh gap.. 

 
 (source: www.tumblr.com)

Celebrities are also to blame for this obsession and hype. In all magazines, you will see the skinny models and other celebrities who are praised for being so thin and others being slated for being 'fat'. Well, they're not actually fat. They're normal. Admittedly, some are a bigger than what's seen to be 'average' and 'normal', but they get slated on a daily basis. That is so damaging for them. It's only when a celebrity gets dangerous skinny that they will get slated for their image. But is it too late by then? 

Now, for some people, thigh gaps are somewhat natural. Where some girls are naturally skinny, they naturally have a thigh gap. However, the majority of girls do not. Admittedly, I do not have a thigh gap. Chances are I never will! But why should that bother me? I'm happy the way I am and the media should not influence the way I want to be. Yes, I have gone out of my way to become the shape I am now after working for it. 

Many girls are unhappy with their figures and aspire to be a few sizes smaller or remove certain areas of fat here and there. But certain 'norms' like these cause so many problems and can cause girls a lot of problems, both physically and mentally. You become obsessed with being skinny and try everything you can think of. If you don't like your figure, do something about it. But do not go to silly extremes. Go to the gym, eat healthier foods... Don't starve yourself or go on ridiculous diets when there are simpler and safer options.

(source: www.themetapicture.com)

So what do you think, are thigh gaps normal? To find out more, click here for the Daily Mail article focusing on this particular topic.