How Lauren Conrad Is Paving The Way For An Anti-Body Shaming Movement

Beach season is here: the time of crash diets, working out overtime and going on detox diets galore to look "skinny" in your bikini.

Lauren Conrad knows what's up, and thinks the body shaming that emerges with the start of swimsuit season is overrated.

Her recent blog post on June 1 highlighted how she feels people should make an effort to be healthy year-round, and the site will no longer be using so-called "body-shaming" terms.

LaurenConrad.com will be replacing common "body-shaming" terms such as "skinny," "slim" and "thin," with more health-oriented terms such as, "fit," "toned" and "healthy."

This comes just a few days after Lilly Pulitzer was criticized for photographs of fat-shaming cartoons posted around an employee's office cubicle.

Lauren Conrad, can we just say thank you? Thank you to you and your team for spearheading this anti body-shaming movement.

The End Of "Skinny"

We live in this culture of constant body criticism and false ideals printed across magazines and the Internet.

Words like "skinny," "slim" and "thin" may seem harmless, but have done much more damage than many of us think.

This desire to be "thin" or "skinny" is the reason why over 24 million people in the United States suffer from an eating disorder.

This is why 91 percent of women on a college campus have attempted to control their weight through dieting.

This is why countless people have become preoccupied with image, and can't enjoy the amazing experiences life has to offer.

We may all pretend we don't body shame, but almost all of us have done it or do it regularly. Negative self-talk seems second-nature to many nowadays.

We all have some idea of what we want to look like and how we want to be perceived.

So we diet; we detox; we try to be perfect ... for what? All it does is backfire, leaving us feeling judged and unhappy.

Negative Self-Talk Is Unproductive

What good does body-shaming do?

Typically, nothing productive comes out of negative self-talk. Obsessing over the imperfections and flaws doesn't bring about any good.

Let's end this vicious cycle.

As Lauren preached, being healthy is something we should focus on year-round.

Health is a lifestyle, not a seasonal fad. Exercising regularly, eating well and engaging in activities that make us happy each and every day is what creates good health.

What we think, we become. What we focus on, we create.

Focusing on our language and words is the first step toward ending body-shaming.

Let's stop emphasizing dieting, and change our mindset to focus on proper nutrition.

Why are we idolizing certain body types? Let's embrace what we have, and work with what we have.

Why are we criticizing people for being too skinny or too fat? Worry about yourself; the world already has enough critics.

Beauty Is A State Of Mind

Don't let what you see in the mirror become distorted by a socially constructed beauty ideal. We all have different ideals of beauty.

At the end of the day, beauty is a state of mind.

Just be you, and be the best you that you can be. Why be a second-grade version of someone else, when you can be a first-grade version of yourself?

A brilliant mind, a stunning heart, a captivating soul and a fierce drive are all unique characteristics that make us beautiful.

This movement will no doubt take off. If major contemporary magazines geared toward body image like Shape, Marie Claire and Cosmopolitan are smart, they will implement this practice as well.

Embracing our bodies and choosing to be positive about our health is the new norm.

Thank you, Lauren Conrad and team, for your bravery and innovation.