It’s been forever since I have updated my blog (kind of forgot I had one, honestly), so I’m going to give it a go. In keeping with my “healthy” theme, this post is about having a healthy self image. Most articles on this topic start out with an overview of how the media portray women as emaciated sex objects with fake everything who bear almost no resemblance to an actual woman found in her natural habitat. I’ve subscribed to enough fashion magazines and DVR’d enough episodes of Keeping Up with the Kardashians to disagree. But you know who else is to blame? Ourselves. I hear women complain about female celebrities who aren’t “perfect” enough all the time. As much as we hate the stereotypes we feel obligated to fulfill, we also judge prominent women who don’t live up to them. “Katherine Heigl has fang teeth.” “Adele is huge.”
It doesn’t get much worse than those tabloid magazines you find in the checkout lanes at the grocery stores with photos of “Celebrities without Makeup.” I HATE THOSE! Is it really such a disgusting thing for a woman to be seen in public without a full face of stage makeup on? I get that they are public figures, but that’s just rude.
We complain about the media setting unrealistic standards, but we are the first to tear down a talented celebrity—or even a stranger—for failing to live up to them. Admittedly, I have caught myself checking out a stranger and wondering why she plucks her eyebrows so thin, or why she’d wear tights as pants. I immediately feel bad for making a snap judgment about a stranger and silently scold myself for being so mean inside, but it doesn’t stop me from automatically doing it, although I try.
Anyways, to get the point (finally), attitudes like this set us up to be pretty mean to ourselves. We overlook the good things and focus on those few flaws that we just can’t change, whether it be a flat chest, a big butt, a soft belly, or a crooked nose. For years, I thought I had a flabby butt and would spend hours a day in the gym trying to StairMaster my way to happiness. It didn’t work, and I seriously obsessed over it for the better part of a decade. Other times, I would stand in front of the mirror and practice “sleight of bangs” to make my high forehead appear smaller. Perhaps my favorite story, and certainly the most hilarious, was when my mother presented me with a box a few months before my wedding. She said she had something I might want to use for my wedding. I was expecting something of sentimental value. Inside the box? Silicone bra inserts! She thought they would make my dress fit better and save me some money on alterations. I declined them, although I appreciated the gesture.
Over the past couple of years, I have adopted a completely different attitude. As a nurse, I take care of people whose bodies are failing them. I see people with cancer who are in pain every hour of every day. I see children in wheelchairs because they don’t have the muscle tone to walk. After seeing all of this, I can honestly say that I have not ONCE gone to the gym with a goal of making my butt cuter. I go there to take care of my heart and to preserve my health. And you know what? I leave the gym feeling successful every time (that I actually go).
On a more random note, have you ever been told that you look like your mother, or maybe your grandmother? I have, and it’s one of my favorite compliments. So the next time you stand in front of the mirror and see something you don’t really like, try to figure out where it came from. It was probably your mother. And I’m sure you think she’s beautiful J Here’s a pic of me and my mom (notice I’m not wearing the inserts, and neither is my mom).
So be who you are, and OWN it! Rar :-)
