Tag Archives: bisma shahbaz

COMMENCEMENT SPEECHES ARE A PRIVILEGE, NOT A RIGHT

Bisma Shahbaz is a junior international studies major.
Bisma Shahbaz is a junior international studies major.

As we all know, or hopefully know, freedom of speech protects our right to openly communicate our ideas whether they are intellectual or hateful, but that doesn’t mean anyone is obliged to listen to you. Previous commencement speak- ers such as former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, International Mone- tary Fund managing director Christine Lagarde, and Ayaan Hirsi Ali have all had a taste of this reality when students began protesting their respected Univer- sity’s choice to invite these individuals to speak on their graduation, but due to uproar and protests, their scheduled ap- pearance was canceled. Continue reading COMMENCEMENT SPEECHES ARE A PRIVILEGE, NOT A RIGHT

Do Not Tell Me How To “Love My Body”

Bisma is a sophomore international studies major.
Bisma is a sophomore international studies major.

Every time I hear about a “Love Your Body” campaign, I am always eager to see what that company says your body must look like in order for you to love it. In the past couple years, Victoria’s Secret launched a campaign spreading the message of “love your body.” It featured their unfairly gorgeous models who all average a size 2, but God forbid any of them be a size 5. This idea of a beautiful body being limited to a single-digit number greatly confuses and upsets me.

When I was younger, my PlayStation was the park – but for kids these days, their idea of fun revolves around the Internet. At a younger age, girls are being exposed to unrealistic expectations of how women should look: This ideal includes Sofia Vergara’s breasts, Megan Fox’s waist, and Jennifer Aniston’s legs.  Actresses like Jennifer Lawrence make the headlines simply because they refuse to confine to the societal norms of beauty. Some even confess to eating an extra-large order of French fries because they are absolutely delicious. This nonconformism should also make us question what we consider newsworthy as a society.

There is definitely a movement to embrace women of fuller and curvier body types. H&M, for example, endorsed a plus size model named Jennie Runk, who is actually the average weight of American women – a size 12. Many stories have been highly praised for giving curvier women the courage to once again don some sexy swimsuits after years of refusing to wear them out of embarrassment.

Embracing unhealthy weights is not my goal, nor is it to give preference to a bigger size over a smaller size.  What I personally believe is that beauty is not limited to race, color, or ethnicity – nor is it defined by one specific weight. A beautiful woman is comprised of many qualities. Those qualities should be decided by her personally, and not by the media.