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Clarissa Martinez

Professor Batty

English 101

07 May 2018

The Importance of Body Positivity

Everyone has had some insecurities as teenager's or adolescents especially nowadays

since social media has been a big thing. From the book Still Water Saints by Alex Espinoza, we

were introduced to a character named Rosa who she relates to the real world now. The problem

she faces is something that many people face nowadays, which is to get criticized by the shape of

your body. Although people are very focused on how they look, they should stop bullying others,

and to listen to the media, and focused on being happy.

In life, there will always be someone trying to bring you down either by your appearance or just

jealousy. It will not just be by bullies who would bully you, but it can also be family members as

well. For example, in the book Still Water Saints by Alex Espinosa a character name Rosa would

get bullied by her mother and some of her family members by calling her "fat," since most of her

family members are "thin," so her mom didn't want her to get "bigger." This illustrates how

Rosas mother would bully her. The reason why I think Rosas mother bullies her is that when she

was young she was also being called “chubby” and her family pinch her cheeks which she hated.

So after Rosas mother gave birth to her she decided to lose weight. Therefore, I believe this gave

Rosa’s mother an idea for her to not get fat because she didn't want her to experience what she

had experience as a young girl. Afterall, in life, there will always be someone trying to bring you

down even a family member either by your appearance or just jealousy, but that shouldn’t stop

anyone from being who they want to be. If someone would bully me the way Rosa’s mother did I
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wouldn't care instead it would make me feel stronger and I would simply ignore them because

most of the time what they want is attention and if I would ignore them then they will stop

teasing me.

After seeing how social media has grown many people will believe what they see and

will also get “inspire” by how others look. For example, in the book Still Water Saints by Alex

Espinoza, Rosas sister Blanca wants to go to school to be a makeup artist and hair stylist the

reason why is because I believe she gets influenced by the media. Another example, is from a

article called, “How Does Social Media Affect Body Image?” by Michael Rich, Rich stated that,

“Young people learn how to behave in the world from the role models they chose, whether they

are movie stars or any celebrities.” This can also be why Rosas sister Blanca decided to be a

makeup artist or hairstylist since she was inspired by the media. As well as models that promote

clothes and many young people see that a lot that makes them want to have that kind of body so

they start to eat less so they won’t gained weight. Additionally just like the book Still Water

Saints by Alex Espinoza, when two of the characters Rosa and Miguel, were done dancing Rosa

said “After a while, I sit down on the couch and try to catch my breath. ‘Here.’ He hands me a

glass of water. ‘Are you okay?’ ‘I’m okay,’ I say, panting. ‘Are you sure?’ ‘Do you need

something to eat?’ ‘Nobody ever asks me that.’ ‘Oh,’ he says. ‘I get it. Sorry.’ ‘ I wasn't always

like this’ I say. ‘ I used to be thin.’ (pg26)” This proves how Rosa wouldn't eat much and that her

health started to become a problem since she wouldn't eat much because the only thing that her

mom had told her was to drink tea daily and to some food but not a whole meal. Rosa mother

didn't really pay attention to the consequences that can happen to Rosa since all her mother

wanted was for Rosa to lose weight because she didn't want her daughter to be chubby just like

when she was younger. Moreover, I have realized that people think we have to look a certain
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way which makes other look different from what they see on social media which the reason why

most people get criticized by their body. Which at the end is your body so you do what you want

with it as long you eat healthy because you wouldn’t want to end up feeling like Rosa.

Some people might argue that a good appearance is important. Yes, but I believe being

internally happy is more important because you don’t have to worry about anything that has to

do with your self-image and that being yourself just makes you who you are. For instance, in the

book Still Water Saints by Alex Espinoza Rosa met a guy named Miguel Angel that told her to

stop drinking the green tea that her mom would make her drink to lose weight. Miguel told her

that if she didn't want to drink it she didn't have to, so that's when she realized that she didn't

have to do what she didn't want to when she felt happy the way she was. This is an example of

how you don’t have to be trying to be someone else when there will be someone that would love

you by how you are. Another example is of an article called “Self-esteem and Body Image,” the

author says, “Good self-esteem is important for everyone because it helps you keep a positive

outlook on life and makes you feel proud of the person you are, both inside and out. Most teens

with good self-esteem find life much more enjoyable. They tend to have better relationships with

peers and adults, find it easier to deal with mistakes or disappointments, and are more likely to

stick with a task until they succeed.” This explains how just being happy with who you are

without thinking what others will tell you otherwise then your life will be so much better. As in

for those that think that self-image is more important than they won’t be living happily because

all they will think about is their appearance or what others have to say about how they look. In

addition, we all have to accept who we are because no one is perfect and we have to remember

that we are all unique no matter what our size is.

Overall, many of us either male or female have learned from Rosa to accept who we are,
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not to let anyone tell you what to do, and to do what you want with your body. Most importantly

to listen to your inner voice and not others nor to let the media influence your image. Therefore,

we should all learn from Rosa whether you're a male or female because her experience relates to

men as well.

Works Cited

Espinoza, Alex. Still Water Saints: a Novel. pg.26 . Picador, 2013.

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Posted under Health Guides. Updated 18 August 2016. +Related Content. “Self-Esteem and

Body Image.” Center for Young Women's Health, youngwomenshealth.org/2012/05/30/self-esteem/.

Rich, Michael. “How Does Social Media Affect Body Image?” Thriving Blog, 1 Apr. 2016,

thriving.childrenshospital.org/ask-mediatrician-social-media-affect-body-image/.