Love Who You Are

I am going to put forth an opinion that may prove unpopular in some segments, but on the whole, I doubt it will draw much opposition. First, let me say, I do appreciate a beautiful woman. As a typical man, I do find many of the models and movie and television stars quite attractive. But I also know that these women (and men for that matter) are not the typical person you will generally meet in your daily walk through life. These are the so-called “elite” as far as looks go.

And it has really started to bother me that so many women are unhappy with the way they look, when in reality there is absolutely nothing wrong with their appearance.

I believe, and recent studies have begun to prove, a major contributing factor in this is advertising. We are constantly flooded with the images advertising firms have thrust at us, in television, magazines, movies, the Internet, and other sources. And advertising’s ideal image they throw our way has become increasingly thinner and more unattainable. Twenty years ago, the average model was 8% thinner than the average woman. Today’s model weighs 23% less than the average woman.

Advertising’s narrow message of the contemporary ideal of beauty, that being a seventeen-year old model who at over five feet-nine inches tall weighs less than 120 pounds, has no wrinkles, blemishes, or pores, is an image that can only be obtained by a very narrow segment of the population. And quite frankly, many women are literally killing themselves in trying to reach that flawless and unrealistic illusion created by makeup artists and photographers.

In Naomi Wolf’s book “The Beauty Myth”, she contends that the advertising which features these models first erodes a woman’s self esteem, and then offers to sell it back to her one product at a time. Advertising preys upon insecure adolescents and women who are convinced that if they spend their money on the products advertised they will look like the anorexic models on display.

Well, my friends, enough is enough. I am not saying there is anything wrong with being thin. There isn’t, as long as that is your personal body style. But there also is nothing wrong with you if you don't look like the rail-thin Hollyweird ideal. Yes, obesity is a problem in America, and we all, myself included, should be taking better care of ourselves. But we should be doing it for health, not for appearance. A healthy diet and regular exercise are critical in achieving a long and rewarding life. And I know I could be doing a better job at taking better care of myself. But no one should do it for appearances alone.

Love yourself for who you are, not what you look like.