Hey Steemers!

How many of you watched the Superbowl? Of those, how many saw Lady Gaga's over the top, *incredible*, theatrical performance? Let's acknowledge her talent. Her voice was NOT auto- tuned; she was lowered in on string- like cables. She danced her goddamn ass off while belting notes that would make most of us shatter glass if we attempted them. Her songs contain progressive, powerful messages. 
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Despite all of this, people focused on how her stomach looked in a crop top. The list that follows are people's ACTUAL comments from Twitter.
~ "Tried to enjoy @ladygaga's performance, was distracted by the flab on her stomach swinging around"
~"Was waiting for a surprise guest but just got Lad Gaga's gut"
~ "Lady Gaga needs to do some crunches if she wants to show her flabby belly"
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First of all, that woman is a tall drink of water. She's fit and fierce and fabulous- all of which has NOTHING to do with body fat %. The essential BF% for females is 11-13%. "Essential" meaning that at a bare minimum, this much fat is required to sustain vital functions. It is HEALTHY to sit above this. It also means that when we bend or twist or squeeze, our skin will move. Healthy, gorgeous women (and men) have rolls, cellulite, and scars. In no way do they lessen our worth. In fact, I'd argue they make us more beautiful. They speak of authenticity, of adventures taken and meals shared. 
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Jabs like the ones taken at Lady Gaga are part of the reason girls (and guys) develop eating disorders. Those criticisms become our internal monologue, the voice we hear when deciding whether to feed ourselves or simply photosynthesize. When body shaming is allowed to run amok, it changes our relationships with ourselves. To shame someone's body is to shame the very skin they inhabit, their most intimate home. 
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Arbitrary standards are a means for diminishing and marginalizing individuals. They are used to define boundaries between "in groups" and "out groups" and to justify cruelty towards the latter. Allow me to assert that there is no justification for cruelty. Beauty, like all qualities, comes in a multitude of forms. Health looks different on each of us. So let's take a second to remove the filters and judgements from our eyes. Let's look at the humans around us *with appreciation* and *without expectation*. 

Sending love and light your way, beautiful souls.  
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