BODY IMAGE

•   “Nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief she is beautiful.”

•   “If I could change one thing for women, it would be helping them to believe they have the inner strength they need to make their lives better.”

•  "Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and try to be that perfectly."

•  "It is better to be hated for what you are, than to be loved for something you are not."

• "Self-trust is the first secret of success."

• "The most important opinion you have is the one you have of yourself, and the most significant things you say all day are those things you say to yourself."

•  "Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement."

• "The way you treat yourself sets the standard for others."

•  "Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the face."

•  “Cherish your visions; cherish your ideals; cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts, for out of them will grow delightful conditions, all heavenly environment; of these if you but remain true to them, your world will at last be built.”

We live in a world where the way we view our bodies, is reflective of what society portrays as the standard for beauty.  There is no perfect body image. Today, I would like to create an awareness of what humanity represents as the “Beauty Ideals.” Institutions such as the media, Hollywood, the fashion industry, and the diet industry play a great role in making us embarrassed or guilty about our bodies. The women depicted in these institutions all have flawless skin and thin bodies. Like the video below on Dove Evolution, most of the women used in these commercials have been enhanced using computer technology, which airbrushes and erases their flaws. These images influence our beliefs on how we perceive ourselves as a society, and ultimately our behavior. In a book I read called Women’s Voices Feminist Visions, the author states that “Fashion model’s weigh about 20% less than the average woman; only about 5% of the society weigh’s the average fashion model’s weight given her height.”(223) These statistics show that about 95% of the average woman does not fit into the  “standard for beauty.” This causes great problems in our society, as little girls grow up with all these lies about how their bodies are suppose to appear.  They look up to the models as the standard for beauty, and as they grow older they suffer from eating disorders, because, they are trying to fit in. Nobody tells them what reality is and how not everyone can look like a model. Many teenage girls start to have self-esteem problems if they do not look a certain way. We are all beautiful and our culture should embrace all shapes and sizes.  As I embark on this path to help women and myself love their bodies, the first step is to become aware: to know the absurdity of the beauty ideal.  It is important that we love our bodies, because, when we love our bodies, we feel beautiful. Please take a few minutes examine yourself and the influences that affect your perception of your body and post comments below.

                  I'm currently taking a Women's Studies class at the University of Houston, and for our class activism project, we were asked to pick any topic centered on women's studies issues. The topic I found most intriguing is; "How women view their bodies (Body Image)."
                  I chose this topic because majority of the women I know complain about their bodies. Most young girls and women are never satisfied with their body Image. A good number of women end up suffering from eating disorders while trying to fit the "perfect body" image.
                 As I start this journey, I hope to enlighten all women reading on the myths of beauty. We as women should encourage each other to embrace and love ourselves, and with a bit of luck, every woman reading this will see herself as Beautiful. This blog will also be an interactive site where women and teenagers can share their stories or comments about this concern eating up our society. Please take a few minutes to watch the Dove Evolution video below.