If you loved One Tree Hill and can't get enough of Chicago P.D., then you're most definitely a fan of Sophia Bush. I mean, how could you not be? She's a badass actress who continuously steals the small screen spotlight, all while giving back to the world as a hardworking activist. Oh, and she's also a body positive role model for young girls and women. So, if you're not already bowing down to the 33-year-old actress, then you probably will be after you read about why Sophia Bush embraces her body.
As the September 2015 Health magazine cover star, Bush opened up about maintaining body confidence in Hollywood. She admits it's not an easy feat, but she isn't going to let people's judgment of her physical appearance influence her everyday life. She said,
I think [maintaining body confidence is] hard for everyone. Do I think that there has historically been more pressure [in Hollywood than elsewhere]? Yes. Do I think that because of media and airbrushing and social media and Instagram and Facebook and Twitter, that it's now the same for everyone? I think it's crazy. We are so conditioned as women to hate on ourselves all the time, but look at what we can do.
As Bush points out, for women, there is an immense amount of pressure to look a certain way. I can only imagine how difficult it must be as a female celebrity to constantly be scrutinized if you're not a certain weight, have blemishes, or have stretch marks. To wake up every day and feel like you must be physically perfect is exhausting and unrealistic. Women are beautiful because of their differences and imperfections. That's what should be embraced.
Like Bush says, women are so much more than their figures and looks. Women can do it all and definitely shouldn't let the opinions of others or their appearance define who they are and what they can do. On more than one occasion, Bush has shown just that. "This is me, whether I like it or not," she said about keeping perspective about herself and her body image. "I will never be as tall as Gisele. I will never have bone structure like Hilary Rhoda. I will never have Penelope Cruz's hair. So who cares?"
If that isn't enough, another way for women to achieve body positivity is to ban together, which is something else Bush explains during her interview. While discussing the idea of women receiving validation from men, she said,
We've been taught that being validated by a man is something to strive for. But when we get validated by women, we brush it off, we act like it's stupid and we immediately insult ourselves. What if we took validation from our female friends and let that fill us? I would wager women wouldn't compete over men's attention the way that they do.
It's about women uniting, rather than pitting ourselves against one another. Women should support each other, especially when it comes to changing society's views about beauty. You are you. Embrace it, love it, own it, and most importantly, never apologize for it.
