In response to a writing prompt in Spanish class that addressed the “Body Positivity” campaign on social media and criticisms thereof, Vikram wrote an especially thoughtful essay. He argues that portraying all body types, particularly larger women, is good (despite the possible endorsement this could give to unhealthy habits) because the campaign seeks fundamentally to promote more inclusive beauty standards.

He goes on to suggest that the campaign should do more to promote images highlighting other realistic physical traits such as baggy eyes, dark circles, height, and wrinkles. The increasing use of filters and Photoshop to alter images and erase these “imperfections” has fomented an unrealistic beauty standard that exacerbates people’s insecurity, encouraging them to undergo plastic surgery.

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