Keeping It Together: This Pride Month, look inward

His torso wasn't flat enough. Her stomach, arm and thighs looked too big. The number on the scale still haunts him.

Botox and fillers and liposuction and steroids and abs on abs on abs stare back at us regularly on our TikTok screens, beckoning us subconsciously to question how we look – a reflection of a culture long shaped by body image ideals, now hammered home to a younger generation at all hours.

My name is David Oliver, and I'm a wellness reporter here at Paste BN. I hope you're having a lovely start to June and Pride Month – but remember that Pride isn't just about rainbows and parades. It's about remembering the past, living in the present and preparing for the future. That means looking inward and being kinder to each other, particularly about our bodies.

For many members of the LGBTQ community, concerns about body image range from general dissatisfaction to body dysmorphia to eating disorders on top of added stressors associated with queerness. Each story is different – many queer men strive for abs, queer women for thinness – but paints a cautionary tale about the dangers of comparison. The queer community today faces unique societal pressure to look a certain way thanks to the ongoing influence of social media in the microcosm of LGBTQ spaces, both online and in real life.

Read more here, and peruse other wellness offerings below.