Strength TogetHER 7 - Session 5

8th June, 2021

"Each individual woman's body demands to be accepted in its own terms". 

-Gloria Steimen

Lokopakar is a youth based organization which is currently running four programs among which  "Strength TogetHER" is one of its projects where a group of girls from diverse backgrounds meet virtually and share their stories, insecurities, ideas and perspectives and help each other grow. In each session a moderator is invited who listens, appreciates and guides the participants.

  

On 8th June,2021, we conducted the 5th session on the topic ''Body Positivity" as suggested by the participants. Around 19 girls joined the session and spoke their hearts out and our moderator gave heart soothing feedback.

Our moderator for the session was Ms. Deepshikha Ghimire. She is a founding president of Aayam and has been running a brain parlor for the upliftment of teenagers' mental health for four years. She is also a former anchor in a YOUTH TV show in NTV Plus, won several awards in literature, a recognized national debater and  has represented  Nepal in international debate tournaments as well. Currently Deepshikha is pursuing BA LLB at National Law College and waiting for final year results of Bachelors in  Psychology. 

 

Our first participant shared that in her community girls having sharp noses are  considered beautiful. She mentioned that she has also been commented on many times but such things don't bother her.

Our second speaker shared that  she gets commented a lot on her body hair. As this is one of her hereditary traits, she has been seeing everyone in her family with such body hairs, so it doesn't affect her.  But she felt bad when her friends were bullied because of body hair. Then she understood that  body hair can be a real problem for some people so she asked the  moderator how she can shut the bullies.

Our third speaker shared that beauty pageants criteria are demoralizing those struggling with body issues. She said that it has happened with her friends too.

Our fourth speaker shared that in her community girls are often suggested beauty creams. She said that this has been lowering the self confidence among girls in  her community. 

 Our moderator provided some interesting insights which are concluded as:

• The perception of beauty changes from person to person and time to time. There's no such thing as a perfect body.

• Accepting the way you are is self love and that will eventually  help you gain body confidence.

• Makeup can be used to boost your self confidence but only by your choice.

• You can fake it until you gain your body confidence, it will be a practice to normalize body confidence.

• Ignore critics, you are okay just the way you are.

Our moderator also highlighted how our society constructed these beauty standards, it actually deceived the actual idea of beauty. She said historically men and women both wore makeup, ornaments, even our Lord Krishna is of color whom we idolize irrespective of his skin stone. Over the time of civilization, patriarchal society itself set these beauty standards and movie representations also play the role to misperceive the idea of beauty. 

We were so relieved after listening to our moderator. Our one hour long session ended exchanging smiles and thanking the moderator for teaching us to embrace the way we are. Girls bid goodbye to each other with a promise to see each other soon.

I am Aahana Dhakal, cohort coordinator of cohort 7 learning by sharing and listening to stories in the Strength TogetHER family.

Written By - Aahana Dhakal (Cohort Coordinator)