My husband and I were recently talking about the pressure that is put on women to look perfect. Driving down the
freeway we see billboards for liposuction, laser hair removal, and plastic surgery. Almost every magazine at checkout stands features some new article about how to lose weight or look better. Its all about appearance! No wonder the rate of eating disorders in this country continues to rise. I really like the following article from Jillian Michaels titled What’s Your Idea of Beauty?
Think you’ll never look like actress Angelina Jolie? Guess what? You won’t. Believe me — Angelina Jolie doesn’t even look like “Angelina Jolie” in real life. Face it: We’re bombarded with images of ideal beauty everywhere — on television, in movies, in magazines, you name it. When we compare ourselves with these unattainable, airbrushed images of perfection, we’re always going to come up short. No wonder we pick ourselves apart and get depressed!
The only way out of this trap of negativity is to let go of unrealistic notions of what you should look like. While exercise and diet are key components to healthy living, accepting and loving your body — working with it rather than against it — are important, too.
Take a good, hard look at where your negative feelings about yourself are coming from. Determine what the source is — whether it’s the media, judgment from family or friends, or maybe a bad relationship; you have to identify it first before you can begin to let it go. Looking for perfect? Forget perfect — it’s boring! Embrace your perceived imperfections (c’mon, they make you unique) and love who you are. It’s the only way to move forward.
I realize that many of my articles are about losing weight, eating healthy, and exercising. I strongly believe that striving to live a healthy life does bring happiness, but I don’t want anyone to think that I believe that being “beautiful” on the outside is more important than being “beautiful” on the inside. Don’t let anyone tell you you aren’t good enough because you don’t look a certain way. Everyone has beauty within them!
*Click HERE to see how computers are used to enhance images of celebrities. No one looks that good!
