You Are Not Good Enough

It's 2058

Brexit still hasn't happened yet.

We'll all either be overweight because of obesity

Or anorexic because of crippling body image.

Cristiano Ronaldo is still playing top level European football.

I mean the guy's in good knick.

Oh and your mum?

Well she actually looks younger than she did in 2019.

Progress... Right?

This blog is a predictive blog. I am merely suggesting things that may or may not be reality for the people of 2058. I am basing these predictions on current societal attitudes toward mental health and what I believe are dangerous trends that are prevalent today.

For what it's worth I hope I'm wrong. I really do.

Let me introduce you to Destiny Diamond North the 3rd. (Yep that's her real name)

She's growing up in 2058. For the sake of convenience let's refer to her as DDN3 from now on. Because reading Destiny Diamond North the 3rd will be almost as boringly frustrating as writing it. What might life be like for DDN3?

From the minute DDN is able to engage with social media she will be bombarded with images and videos of 'perfect' airbrushed, blemish free bodies. Some of the biggest social media influencers will be children advising other children how to look amazing and attract attention. She'll be getting it from all angles. Guaranteed.

But DDN will have blemishes. Parts of her body she doesn't like. No one is born 'perfect'. Not to worry though. These can be amended. All manner of suctions, injections and lasering are available. DDN comes from money so there's no problem having these procedures done privately. Even if she wasn't that wouldn't be a problem. Most of these will be available on the NHS (or 2058 equivalent).

Self harm towards one's body and self hatred of one's body will be so rife that there will be a mental health epidemic. Dwarfing even that which we have today. Poor body image will be so rife that there will be an overwhelming demand for it to be possible to make physical amendments. Anything that can't be achieved in a gym will be demanded from a GP. Bigger breasts for a 14 year old? No problem. Liposuction for a kid? Absolutely.

The overwhelming message will not be self - acceptance. But self - love. You don't like something physically? Pay to get it changed. Look however you want. Chances are the "however you want" will be the image you are bombarded with in almost every aspect of your daily life. Media telling you how you should look will be inescapable.

Why do I think this? What am I basing it on? Let me offer some explanation. Changing yourself physically is not a new concept. The pressure to look a certain way has been around for generations. Below are some examples of advertising campaigns used over the years.

This is an example of an ad from the 1930s. Ironized yeast was the superfood of it's day. It promised to clear up skin blemishes "fill out gawky angles" and have "skinny limbs round out attractively."

Fear not. They can "reshape" you.

And it's not just girls anymore.

Each of these ads are extremely powerful. They prey on insecurities within an individual and use those insecurities to try and sell a product. Our screens, magazines and just daily lives are saturated with such messages. And it's only going to get worse. It's shameful.

The fundamental message is that you are not good enough as you are and you need to change. That the secret to your happiness and fulfillment is in the way that you look. Time and time again young and old people alike are being told that the way they look is not ok. No surprise then that the majority of people begin to believe that. Poor body image is rife in the majority of society. Research the world over backs this up.

Children are growing up hating their own bodies. Convinced that they are not good enough and they have to change. That's just 2019. Begin to imagine how that might look in 2058. It's damn terrifying.

I have been there. Hated my own body. Saw fat when it wasn't there. Convinced that when I got the six pac I would be happy. Truth is I was more miserable than ever with an eight pac. The 'better' my body looked (according to societal standards) the more hatred I felt. It's a vicious cycle. And it can absolutely destroy you.

If I'm around in 2058 I'll be 64. Who knows the kind of life I'll be living? Or what size my waist will be? These are merely predictions. But one thing is for sure.

Life is about so so much more than how you look.

The next blog will explore ways to help you have a more positive, realistic body image.

Because like it or not body image is important. I wish it wasn't but it is. We can't escape it. But we need to fix it. As much for ourselves as for the kids of 2058.