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The Beauty And Self-Image Paradox According To The Media
You don't believe you're beautiful,
do you?! Let me say it to you:
You ARE beautiful.
Real beauty is beyond the
physical.
Start unveiling the beauty in
you here.
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Female bodies. Everywhere
you look you are exposed to
them, especially in the field
of advertising.
Women are seen as sexy,
young and thin and these
characteristics are enforced
in movies, in television, and
in the print media.
Women’s magazines, such
as Cosmopolitan, are full of
articles urging women that
if they can lose those 10
pounds, they’ll have it all -
the perfect man, the perfect
relationship, great sex, and
a happy life.
It is this constant bombardment
by the media that is making it
that much harder for women,
especially younger women to
maintain a positive self-image
about themselves.
According to the media, outer
beauty is valued more than
inner beauty.
And even if you have outer
beauty you still need to
compare it to the standards
that have been set.
And it's just not the media that
sets these impossible standards.
We, ourselves, do it and
sometimes think nothing
of it.
"She's too fat."
"She's too thin."
"Her breasts are too small."
"Her breasts are too large."
"Her butt is too big."
"She has no butt."
These are but some of the
ways we set the standards
for others, to the point where
it detrimentally affects one's
self-image and hence one's
self-esteem.
Young teens are highly
susceptible to this.
The sad and perhaps scary
part is that we live in a
culture of thinness where
beauty is nothing but an
unattainable concept.
At least not for the 98% or
so of us "normal" females
out there.
Let's face it, we can't all look
like Barbie - you know the doll -
simply because her proportions
are not human - unless of
course you want to get rid
of some of your internal organs.
But the media thinks this is
just fine. And they enforce it
by showing models who are
ultra-thin, who strut around
wearing clothes that only
young children can wear.
What they don't tell you is
the price these models pay
in terms of the eating disorders
that abound - bulimia and
anorexia.
And if they can't find the perfect
model, Photoshop air-brushing can
do it for them.
All of these exposure to what
real women "should" look
like becomes internalized
and leads to women comparing
themselves against others.
You probably have done that
subconsciously without even
knowing it.
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So how do you fight it.
Start by disregarding media
that enforces such stereotypes
and bodily requirements.
Their goal is to undermine your
self-image by showing you what
they perceive to be what you
should look like.
We don't live in a post-apocalyptic
world where one entity can tell
us how we should or should
not look like.
As far as I know how we look
is entirely up to us and to our
genetics.
And no one has the right to
make us feel bad simply
because we are full bodied.
Learn to appreciate yourself.
Look in the mirror on a regular
basis and tell the person you
see in front of you that they
are beautiful.
Love yourself for what and
how you are.
Understand that what you see
on TV is nothing more than a
ploy to sell you stuff you don't
need anyway.
Advertisers and the media
are delusional.
You don't have to be.
And the thing is, your real face
of beauty is simply waiting for
you to unleash it.
And you can do that.
Click here to find out how.
Beauty is how you perceive
yourself. Empower yourself to
be beautiful inside and out.
You ARE beautiful,
Amy Twain
P.S. Also check out my blog at: http://www.innerzine.com
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