True Beauty

I read this article the other day called Beauty Redefined, here are some of the points that the article mentions…

True beauty, would we recognize it if we saw it? The truth is what the media puts out as popular and real beauty isn’t what very many of us look like. One of the problems is the images of women in the media have usually been digitally manipulated so  why do we compare ourselves to that?

Where’s the ME in Media?…The average American spends 4.5  hours every day watching television and another 3.5 hours online, viewing  hundreds of advertisements in the process. With so much exposure to the positively portrayed  “normal” woman, it’s no wonder real people are feeling painful effects.  This kind of exposure of such a narrow image of women that it has shown to contribute to painfully low self-esteem, a preoccupation with appearance, and full-fledged eating disorders.

According to recent studies, half of all 9-12 year old girls wish they were thinner, and 35 percent of 6-12 year old girls have been on a least one diet.

More than half of adult women surveyed claim their bodies “disgust” them and 90 percent of women are dissatisfied with their appearance.

It is important to train ourselves to ask and answer pivotal questions, such as the following, about the media we’re exposed to on a regular basis”

1…Who is the advertising in this these pages or on this screen? ( Look for ads, commercials, and product placement that may affect the media content.)

2…Do I feel better or worse about myself after viewing this media?

3…Is the media I consume promoting real health or unattainable ideals that focus solely  on appearance?

4…How are women presented in our media choices? Are they valued for their talents and personality? Do they look like me or the women in my life?

5…Are my health and weight-loss goals based on concrete measures of fitness or wellness, or are they motivated by a desire to look a certain way or fit into a certain size?

By acknowledging that very few girls and women feel comfortable in their bodies, we can begin to realize it is the standard that needs changing –not us!  ~ Lexie Kite and Lindsay Kite 2011

I thought this article was excellent! We really do need to recognize and reject  the negative ideas that the media is putting out there about our bodies.

I for one, have to work on this daily and it is something that I struggle with. I don’t really think mine is because of the media as much as some, but still the struggle to not appreciate what I have is there and so I need to make sure that negativity stops. I need to remember… to just take the best care I can of my body.
  I hope it made you stop and think as it did me? Good night dear friends!
(P.S. the young woman in this post is a dear friend of ours. It’s her birthday today too! She is a great example of what we are talking about tonight…she has TRUE BEAUTY actually- inside and out! )

 

“The way we think about our bodies has a strong correlation to how we treat our bodies”

“When we see that the unrealistic body types  throughout the media don’t exist in real life. We can start to recognize and redefine real beauty and health for ourselves!”