“Teens and preteens”: positive body image, one workout at a time

“Teens & Tweens” provides a “06880” voice to the youth of Westport. Today, up-and-comer Madeline Johnson writes about body image:

Growing up, like most girls, I played with Barbie dolls. However, in addition to stimulating my imagination, this play activity also made me aware of my body.

I didn't look like a Barbie. My body didn't look like the models either. Vogue or on Instagram.

This led me to believe that models' appearance was the only standard of beauty.

Madeline Johnson (closest to the ball), playing recreational soccer at age 4.

I didn't realize that Barbie's unrealistic proportions were unobtainable and I began comparing myself to these superficial images. As a generation, we girls have adopted a standard of bodies and beauty from the images presented in the media.

As a multi-sport athlete, I train in weightlifting year-round to keep my body healthy and in shape to perform at a high level.

With this, my physique is not thin like the models I see, but rather strong. I have football thighs, which I work hard for and am proud of. It took me a long time to understand this, and the images I see of women in the media didn't help.

Madeline Johnson with her football team, CFC.

It wasn't until I saw other athletes that I looked up to, like the older girls in Staples varsity football and lacrosse, my coaches, and the female athletes in all sports who proudly represent their country with their strong and powerful bodies, that I began to appreciate mine.

Because most of the images I see in the media do not represent me, I still have to work hard to find positive images to aspire to.

Madeline Johnson, on the Staples lacrosse team.

If I could send a message about Barbie and negative body image, I would emphasize the need for self-acceptance. Even though Mattel has created diversity within the Barbie products they sell and the media has become slightly more diverse, there is still a long way to go before women feel represented and accepted in society.

Girls and women of all ages are beautiful just the way they are. As a society, we must work to abolish, or at least expand, existing beauty standards.

In the In the meantime, I'll be at the gym.

(“Teens & Tweens” is an open forum for Westport youth. You can write about anything: good or bad, happy or sad, your passions and dreams, your thoughts about your life and your community. You can use your name or remain anonymous. You can also submit artwork, videos or other media. If interested, email [email protected].