Have you ever felt like you weren't good enough? That you didn't quite measure up to societies expectations of a beautiful face, or beautiful body? Have you ever felt afraid to walk out your front door in fear of being judged for who you are because who you are is not good enough? If you answered yes, you're not alone. Thousands if not millions of girls and women (and of course boys and men) experience these thoughts on a daily basis. I too, have been afraid to leave my house because I was ashamed of the way my skin looked. I was terrified I'd be judged for what was on my skin rather than what was inside my heart. This fear of judgment surrounds many people and follows them for many years. This negative relationship with your own feelings and body can have many severe consequences on an individuals health and mental and emotional well-being. If you look upon the media these days we are bombarded with sexualize images of women at an increasingly younger age. We view images of breasts and butts and airbrushed complexions and thin waists more than we hear about the contributions that women have made in society. Women are valued more for their appearance than what is in their minds or hearts. And while the general public, including yourself may not value women and girls in this way the mainstream media and society does and they send the message that you should too. Open a magazine if you have one lying around. What images do you see? Predominately white female models with an abnormal amount of skin showing that most women do not express in public. Young and ageless women without skin liaisons or wrinkles. Thin, tall, big busted, large butts women spread across magazines, commercials and other social media and societal outlets. But when you walk around the mall or your workplace or even your school do you see those women you see in ads? Think about it; are their predominately white women that are thin waisted, big breasted, no wrinkles, no skin liaisons? Well I no that when I walk around campus that is far from what I see. Walking around campus allows me to see a DIVERSITY of women in real life! Women with short spunky hair, women with purple dreadlocks and red fiery lips, women with round smiling faces, Black, Asian, Latina, Aboriginal women, women who wear a hijab! Women who like to wear sweat pants (HK students, gotta love you)! Women with athletic bodies and six packs and impressive biceps and calves. Women with bigger bodies. Women who are short. Women who are empoweringly tall! I'm sure you're getting the idea by now but I could seriously go on and on about all the different kinds of women I see on daily basis and I'm sure you can agree. Now why aren't these women shown in the media? Why doesn't the media display the reality of women's lived experiences? That it is inevitable that women will develop wrinkles that signify many laughs, hardships, obstacles, empowering and happy moments, moments of grief, moments full of love, LIVED REAL MOMENTS that are marked on all our faces over time. That many women despite hundreds or thousands of dollars worth of weight loss strategies will continue to be curvy and voluptuous and bold and courageous! That women of different abilities are prevalent and powerful. Women in wheelchairs, women with an amputation, women who are blind, deaf or have cancer. WHY doesn't the media depict those women? The women who's story you WANT to hear! The women who YOU can relate to! The REAL women. This is not to say that models are not real women. But the fact is that the media capitalizes on a single image of women and makes us believe that is the ideal form of beauty. Not to mention that a models face and body is often truly not even their own. How can it be empowering and fair to change someones body to display it as an ideal when it is not even real? I just want to say that the media IS WRONG! SO WRONG I could just yell it off the top of the biggest building in the world! All of you women out there are BEAUTIFUL for who you are as a person and everything you've accomplished and experienced over your lifetime. You are beautiful because you are you and NO ONE else in the world. You were born with a one and a million chance of life and you need to understand how important and unique you are because there is literally NO one out there like you (unless your an identical twin;)). Do you remember when you stopped liking the reflection of yourself in the mirror? Do you remember as a child when you laughed when you saw that strange creature staring back at you with big bug eyes and rosy cheeks? When did you stop adoring yourself? When's the last time you looked in the mirror and told yourself that your beautiful? If you're reading this right now I want you to stop. Go find a mirror and look yourself in the eye and say "You are beautiful, and I love you for who you are and I promise to you that I will stop telling myself I am ugly, that I'm not good enough, that I need to change. I am me and I am unique and nothing will ever change that. I am me and I am powerful beyond belief. I love me." Now, I mean it, you must look yourself in the eye and tell yourself those words or something similar. The only way you will ever accept yourself for who you are is by truly deep in your HEART accepting you and all that you are.
If you have time and haven't already seen the videos below I hope you can take a look. They both offer a very powerful message that I think is important for everyone to listen too.
P.s I'm not particularly fond of DOVE because of the company that backs them up and how some of their products are also not transparent, in that they do not explain what's inside their products, but I do believe in the message that most of their campaigns are sending.
I'm wishing you all much love and happiness in your life but most of all I am wishing you self-love and acceptance because there is NOTHING more powerful than a women who believes in herself and her own beauty. The next time someone tells you you're beautiful say "Thank you, I know", you're guaranteed to turn some heads and raise some eyebrows but at the end of the day when you know you're beautiful you'll never need anyone else's acceptance, approval, or judgement of you.
Much love,
Meaghan
If you have time and haven't already seen the videos below I hope you can take a look. They both offer a very powerful message that I think is important for everyone to listen too.
P.s I'm not particularly fond of DOVE because of the company that backs them up and how some of their products are also not transparent, in that they do not explain what's inside their products, but I do believe in the message that most of their campaigns are sending.
I'm wishing you all much love and happiness in your life but most of all I am wishing you self-love and acceptance because there is NOTHING more powerful than a women who believes in herself and her own beauty. The next time someone tells you you're beautiful say "Thank you, I know", you're guaranteed to turn some heads and raise some eyebrows but at the end of the day when you know you're beautiful you'll never need anyone else's acceptance, approval, or judgement of you.
Much love,
Meaghan