Your Physical SelfWomen have struggled with body image issues during the second half of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century more than most other times in history combined.The female body is the most revered object for men, marketers and Hollywood executives. It is also the most hated yet loved aspect of almost every woman I’ve met. Even the tall, thin and gorgeous have issues with their body images. Today, the female body is everywhere; selling us anything you can imagine and telling us that the person behind them could not be happier to have such a fabulous package. Every time you turn, in any imaginable medium, there is a model, actress and even “normal” women looking tall, thin and gorgeous. Hollywood in particular seems to tell us on a daily basis that it is almost a “sin” not to look like their top stars. And those stars make their greatest efforts to show us a side that says: “I am thin, I am tall, therefore I am”. In a media saturated society like ours, it is impossible not to be influenced by what you see or hear about female body images.
Purposely or not, today’s society is telling you what the standards for a happy, healthy body should be. The media advertises products or services that promises to change something in women’s body (from your weight, to your nose to yourself) 10 times more than they advertise to men.
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Objectively, you know that the world around you is saturating you with ideas, systems and products that may not be the best for you. Yet, you do not know how to get away from it all and develop your own standards for what is right for your body. Somehow, you must find a way to remind yourself that all bodies are worthy of respect. Empower yourself every time you feel overwhelmed by the media saturation. Here are some ideas: 1. Beware of fake promises: Magazines and TV ads promise you thousands or ways and forms to attain “happiness and self-esteem” via the products they sell. Be aware than your commitment to a better life with a healthier body can come to you overnight. But, the end goal rarely does. It takes work. 2. Understand that what you see in the media is not reality but a moment that has been created and later changed to fit a stereotype. A stereotype is a belief that is applied to all in a group but that is rarely true. 3. Be gentle with yourself. Accept yourself as the perfect creature that you are. Remind yourself of all the beautiful things that make you, you. 4. Stay away from using stereotypes or terms that are degrading to women (or anyone for that matter). Negative thinking will only bring you negative thinking 5. Stop obsessing over it. The world around is so much bigger (infinite to be exact) and is moving so fast that your life will pass you by and all the while you have been stressing over your image. Isn’t it more worth it to spend your energy with friends and family enjoying life and having fun? You can also try a simple but effective exercise for letting go and closing painful chapters in your life. Write down a description of whatever feelings maybe holding you back in a piece of paper. Be specific and descriptive. Burn it and put it at the bottom of a pot and then put some soil and a plant seed in the pot. This will symbolically “destroy” your body image issues from the past and the new plant will symbolize the new, improved body image that you will slowly nurture, grow and develop.
Your plant is your present and will also be your future, helping you grow along with your image and your self esteem.
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