Beautiful You: Reminders for Maintaining a Healthy Body Image
We girls live in a world where pressures to fit a certain mold of beauty weigh us down on a daily basis. Though makeup and fashion are fun to play around with, we don’t blame you if bombardments of image-centered ads and celeb-drenched shows leave you asking, “Why can’t I look like that?” once in a while.
Trust us – we’ve all been there in one way or another. But at the end of the day, it’s important not to lose sight of loving and appreciating your individual beauty. Here’s some food for thought when it comes to maintaining a healthy, positive body image – because every girl deserves to feel beautiful about herself, and you are no exception!
On TV/Movies/The Runway
Sometimes it’s a little too easy to get sucked into the whirlwind of sizing and spray tans (re: models and Hollywood). And it’s perfectly normal to admire (and sometimes envy) stars for their features, fashion sense, and figures … but there’s a line between getting a temporary nip from the green-eyed monster and full-throttle obsessing. One is human nature, and the other can be severely unhealthy.
Keep in mind – these gals in the movies and on the red carpet may look whipped to perfection, yes. But it’s thanks to professional help from armies of makeup artists, hair dressers, personal trainers, and stylists. Nobody wakes up at 7 AM with spotless skin and a beautiful blowout; even the most poised celebs are not immune to bloated, puffy-eyed, skin-dryer-than-the-Sahara days. We just never see such common imperfections for obvious reasons.
Stars have access to the creme de la creme when it comes to looking their best – after all, keeping up with the way they look is undeniably part of their job. On top of that, they’ve got money to burn on nutritionists, the hippest clothes, and the latest products. Think about it – with the right tools and in the right hands, you could just as well play princess for a day!
In Print
“This commercial isn’t real, neither are society’s standards of beauty.”
Flip open any fashion magazine and it doesn’t take long to be flooded with all sorts of flawless visuals. Girl’s smooth all over? It’s because she has no hair follicles. That model has virtually no stomach? It’s because her waist has been virtually whittled away. In the world of perfect lighting and Photoshop, physical appearance gets catapulted onto a whole new (unattainable) level.
Seriously, if you’re so much as even thinking of comparing yourself to a glossy magazine print or photo shoot … girl, no. I do not kid. On top of the armies of professionals mentioned above, computers turn normal women into digital drones. If you’re still having doubts, educate yourself on what a dramatic difference can be made through retouching here.
Jean Kilbourne, a world-famous activist, filmmaker, and speaker, touches on how the advertising world portrays women in her Killing Us Softly film series. Some of her findings on media-crafted beauty perceptions are downright shocking, even in this day and age. Check out her latest installment, Killing Us Softly 4, to gain some deeper thought on what you may be subconsciously absorbing on a daily basis.
But alas, it’s most certainly not reasonable to take a baseball bat to your TV or trash all of your style publications. The key is being able to distinguish the real from the fantasy, and to not let unrealistic images of beauty get under your skin.
Remember to Embrace You
OK, I know it sounds a little after-school special … but think about it for a minute: for almost all of our lives, we’ve most likely been fed only a select few images what “ideal beauty” should look like. When in reality, the rest of the world comes in an infinite amount of shapes, sizes, and colors. Don’t let anyone or anything dictate how you feel about the way you look. Because for anybody who’s judging … who are they?! Who made them the authority?
Of course there will always be parts of our bodies we’re not jumping up and down over – but realize that after the dust clears, there’s only one girl in the world who looks like you. Learning to love your quirks is definitely not an overnight process, but once you begin to embrace them, you’ll gradually feel much better about yourself. So be proud of who you are, you gorgeous thing!
As John Mason once said,
“You were born an original. Don’t die a copy.”
Thoughts?
Do you think the media affects girls’ images of themselves today? What do you love about your body? What are some things you do to feel better about your self-image? Let us know in a comment.
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Posted on on February 12, 2012 / Filed Under: College Life / Tags: Beauty, Body Image, Confidence, lifestyle, physical appearance, self image, self-esteem
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C
I think the media does affect girls a lot. I think they promote this “perfect body” image way to much with all the touch ups and makeup. And every girl should look in the mirror and go “I love my hair” or something else they love about themselves that they would never want to change like I love my eyes and that makes me feel good. Girls just need to stop caring what there suppose to look like and start caring about how THEY want to look. Great post!
Alexandra
I’ve always thought it was a good rule of thumb to remember that most people aren’t paying as much attention to you as you think they are. That girl who you think just gave you the up-and-down, in reality was thinking about what she was going to cook for dinner, how much work she had to do that night, or she loved your shoes. I’ve always thought it took more effort to be truly judgmental – and people who waste their energy like that are few and far between! Maybe I’m just idealistic, but it helps me!
Sophie
thank you so much for this post!! i always think i have lots of problems with my body but posts like this always remind me that i should be more tolerant with myself! honestly, it`s calming me down!! thanks again!!!
Beck
The Fotoshop by Adobe was perfect for this post! My aunt showed me this video a few weeks ago and I loved it. It’s so easy to forget that what you see on TV and in magazines is all photoshopped!!
Leslie
wow. The BEST post i have ever seen on this website. GREAT article, Amanda. The Dove YouTube video was astounding as well. Very inspiring, great job!
Neve
I love this post – it was simple, elegant, yet passionate and inspiring. Thank you for this article!
Vanessa
Very inspirational. A lot of us need to read this. :-)
Nevi
While the media does play a part on contributing to issues concerning body image, much of it also has to do with family and/or personal traumas (abuse, rape, etc.). In those cases, a negative perception of oneself is not simply because someone wants to “look good,” but instead stems from a pervasive sense of self-hatred and feeling undeserving of nourishment and care. So, the distorted perception of the body is merely a symptom of a deeper underlying issue that can’t be erased through self-help strategies.
That being said, bringing attention to these issues is better than nothing, but it seems that many people ignore factors beyond aesthetic concerns.
Rachel
Too many women look in the mirror and the first thing they see is NEGATIVE! No one should see bad things in the mirror. We should all see ourselves for the beautiful, unique women that we are.
Pomeline
Thanks for the great article :)
Ami
I have to admit I too have been sucked into being overly obsessive when it comes to my looks and weight. This article was a great reminder that those women I see in magazines and on TV aren’t as perfect as they are presented. Thanks Amanda for this article. It helped me realize that I should be more appreciative of my unique looks and not try to mold myself into something i’m not. Life is too short to spend so much time on appearance and the like. Its hard to break this habit of comparing myself to other women but its something I am working hard to overcome.
Amanda - University of Texas at Austin
Thanks for the feedback ladies! I’m glad you enjoyed this article and shared your thoughts on the matter.
Nevi – There are definitely more complexities involved when it comes to personal body image. Every person’s case is unique. However, I do believe the media holds a large responsibility in perceptive distortion … at least it’s certainly not helping in any regard (unfortunately). What particularly comes to mind was the study conducted in Fiji in 1999. After the introduction of TV and popular shows (90210, Melrose Place), eating disorders – which previously had been virtually unheard of in the country – rose tremendously amongst young girls in the next few years.
But of course, like you said, some body image issues (depending on severity) certainly cannot be solved by self-help strategies alone. There could be deeper rooted triggers that may be provoking unhealthy behavior/thinking. I strongly encourage seeking out professional help for anyone who is particularly struggling. Because nobody should have to go through anything like such alone.
Miss K
Hi,
I appreciate this article (and others like it! there’s never too much of body acceptance), and College Fashion has become one of my favorite sites in the last year or so. That said, I have a bone to pick — like many other articles that espouse the same thing and fail to follow up, all the pictures here are of airbrushed, ultra-thin models who don’t look anything like the average girl. Isn’t that a bit contradictory in nature? It undermines the overall message you’re sending at the very least.
Amanda - University of Texas at Austin
Miss K – That’s a totally fair point! I believe Zephyr mentioned this in another post, but because of copyright laws/limited photos available in the photo agency archives CF works with, we don’t have unlimited photos to choose from. However, this is definitely something to keep in mind from this point forward, as it’s important to practice what we preach :)
Rachel
Thank you for such an amazing post, it was inspiring. I watched the dove video and I was shocked!! I had no idea they changed the person so much through photoshop, lengthening her neck etc.. For a foundation advert, surely they shouldn’t artificially perfect her skin?
merry
thumbs up!