Why I “Hate” Double Chins, Cellulite, and Big Backs

And Why None of It Was Ever the Problem

Let’s talk about “flaws.”

Double chins. Cellulite. Hip dips. Arm jiggle. Back rolls. The list keeps growing. And when you look back through the decades, every few years our society collectively finds a new body part or shape to demonize.

Enter social media: now there’s a new one every few months.

Have you ever noticed that? How we didn’t even know these things were “problems” until someone - a brand, an influencer, a cosmetic clinic - told us they were? That’s because these so-called flaws aren’t real. Period. Your very normal and natural body part becomes a profitable insecurity. Your chin, your back, your hips - they all become a problem to be fixed with a product.

The Business of Making You Feel Broken

There’s an entire industry built on convincing you that your natural body is a problem to be solved. If everyone woke up tomorrow suddenly neutral - not obsessed, not ashamed - about their body, so many industries would collapse.
Again, full industries would truly collapse. 

This is something we hear often, but it begs repeating. Beauty, diet, fitness, fashion, “anti-aging”... all of them profit when you believe you’re not enough as you are.

So, new “flaws” get invented when the old ones stop selling. Others stick around, being passed down from generation to generation. Stretch marks, thigh gaps, double chins. None of these existed as moral failings until marketing told us they should be fixed.

The Truth: Your Body Was (and IS) Never Wrong

What if instead of assuming our body is the issue, we asked why we’ve been taught to see it that way?

A double chin is just skin and fat. Then suddenly the structure that helps your face to move, your smile to expand with joy, and lips to speak becomes a painful reminder you’re not enough.  The same can be said for almost all cosmetic “flaws.”

But these real, functional, human parts have been distorted through filters, algorithms, and billion-dollar campaigns. They rely on our deeper wounds — the fear of being unloved, of being not enough. They’re only able to sell the “after” once they’ve made us hate the “before.”

Body Liberation Means You Deserve to Exist Without Critique

I know I know, easier said than done. But just because it’s not easy doesn’t mean a shift in perspective isn’t worth pursuing. Find a provider to help support you, reduce your social media use (people see a 50% improvement in body image and self-esteem after one week of no social!), or explore more resources linked below.

Rejecting these made-up flaws isn’t about pretending to love everything about your body all the time. It’s about recognizing how deeply this conditioning runs, and choosing not to play along. And while it’s empowering to reject the lie that your body is wrong, it’s also important to name that this lie does real harm.

People in larger bodies face stigma, bias, and discrimination, not because their bodies are a true problem, but because of the systems and beliefs that have decided some bodies are more acceptable than others. So this isn’t about dismissing that lived experience - it’s about seeing how fabricated “flaws” feed those systems, creating hierarchies and shame where there should be none.

Body diversity is real. It’s natural. And yet, we’re constantly taught to edit and erase it - to make every body smaller, smoother, more uniform. But diversity is what makes us human. It’s what makes bodies beautiful.

You don’t owe the world a smaller, smoother, more palatable version of yourself. You deserve to exist in your body without constant critique.

So, Why I “Hate” Double Chins

I don’t hate the double chin. I hate that we were taught to.
I hate that normal features routinely become insecurities. I hate that so much energy, money, and peace have been stolen from people trying to fix something that was never broken.

I hate that I’ve felt all of this pressure, and and I hate that if you’re still reading, you probably have too.

The Bottom Line

You deserve to exist in your body without constant critique.
— Kristin Urena, Registered Dietitian at Here and Now Nutrition

You don’t need to contour your jawline, smooth your thighs, or shrink your body to belong.

But you need to remember this: None of these “flaws” were ever yours. They were made up, sold to you, and now you get to return them.

Here are just a couple more resources for you that I love:

Vent these frustrations to someone that gets it. Reach out or email me at kristin@hereandnownutrition.com and we’ll chat soon!

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Intuitive Eating for Your Neurodivergent Brain