The Dignity of Our Bodies

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My childhood was full of male figures in the household. Because of that, I developed a tomboy-ish attitude, playing rough games with my brothers, getting scars all over my legs, and eating a lot without a care. I didn’t care about my appearance, nor about not looking “lady-like” as I was expected to be. But when I transferred to an all-girls school at the start of my high school years and got shoved into a world of social media, my attitude took a turn.

Women have it harder when it comes to beauty standards. They’re expected to look a certain way that is often portrayed in the media as beautiful or sexy. Slimmer bodies and white porcelain skin were the rage. Entertainment outlets release headlines of celebrities with unrealistic body standards. There’s a societal pressure to look like her, instead of looking like themselves, taking extra lengths to be as close as the models in their Instagram feeds. 

There’s also a cultural side to it, too. Women’s reproductive health remains prevalently taboo. This negatively affects young women’s understanding of their reproductive health and the ways that will help them achieve a high, holistic level of health. During high school, we were were mandated to watch a documentary on pregnancy and abortion. While the documentary’s message was clear~ don’t undergo abortion and don’t get pregnant at an early age~ the manner with which this type of education taught us about our bodies and sexuality was inappropriate, traumatic and did not have any context whatsoever. I remember the screams echoing our classroom after watching the documentary, some were crying and wishing to never give birth. We were only taught of the don’t dos, but never really, truly informed of what we needed when we have issues with our menstruation. 

It’s depressing to see how society frames a woman’s body in different difficult situations: one conforming to a certain standard, and the other, silencing what’s actually needed for the body’s health. Our bodies don’t deserve those kinds of treatments. Chasing a body standard to the point of developing unhealthy habits, and being shunned by society because of bleeding every month—it’s not just a disrespect to our bodies, but ultimately, to us and the dignity that we were born with. 

We were taught that every person has dignity, and dignity brings the value of individual beings. So in the same way, we must also think that our bodies have dignity. And because our bodies have dignity, so, too, do they demand respect. So, too, do our bodies demand to recognize their value, so that you see reason to nurture and care for it. Without our bodies, we wouldn’t be able to experience the gifts of this world: seeing sights, feeling hugs, or tasting food from different cultures. Our bodies fill voids in the world with our presence, making our very existence—our dignity—known. 

Our bodies have complex functions that deserve to be seen with inviolable value and importance—a body that is an important part of a person with inherent dignity. Our bodies have worth that is not dictated by unrealistic body standards and by paternalistic views and processes. We, as humans, are given the freedom to be able to make healthy choices for our body. But that freedom—it’s freedom to eat healthy, to exercise regularly, to seek medical services. Freedom from the guilt of eating too much, from ideals and stigma. Our bodies represent our whole person and dignity, and it is ours to care, nurture, and make sure it doesn’t break down. It is capable of doing many things, and if it isn’t respected or treated kindly—the consequences can be physically and mentally traumatic.


Published: April 13, 2022

This blog entry was written by Alana, a WYA Asia Pacific Regional Intern. Interested in becoming an intern for WYA? Visit bit.ly/aponlineasiapacific2022 today!

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