Have you seen this video??
most likely, if you spend any time surfing the blogosphere, you’ve seen it. here. or maybe here (See Jenn, i always give credit. you’re right…it’s total common curtesyI) or perhaps even here. it’s everywhere.
this video truly hit home for me.
i can honestly say that i have a distorted self image. i look in the mirror and i see flaws. i see uneven skin. i see lumps. i see my crooked nose. and my terrible eyebrows (someone please send tweezers). and my round face. and my broad shoulders. my neck is too short. my lips are too thin. my ears are too big. my teeth aren’t straight. don’t you worry, i can keep going and going.
what i fail to realize, however, is that i’m not alone. probably every woman i know looks in the mirror and sees the exact same things. the imperfections. Women don’t look at themselves and say, "hey, you know what? i’m gorgeous! stunning! hot! there’s nothing i would change if i had the chance!" it doesn’t exist. my friends and i often discuss the tummy tucks and the boob jobs. if we could go on extreme makeover…here’s what we’d want to do…
these women on billboards…they aren’t real. they are the product of make-up and hairdressers and hours and hours of photoshopping. without the make-up and the touch-up, these women look, well, like you and me. sometimes i’m baffled at how "normal" the women on America’s Next Top Model are. They are like the rest of us. uneven skin. messy hair. thin lips. ears that are too big. eyes that are too far apart. but they are MADE into models. they don’t just look that way. Personally i find it comforting that most people i know don’t wake up looking like Jessica Alba. (and i’m sure our dear Jessica can look in the mirror and find something she hates about herself.)
So, Friday’s post was about the things that you do well. You are a good listener. A great cook. A wonderful friend. You have a photographic memory. You are a good mom.
Today’s post is about finding your beauty. Put aside all those pesky details that you would change. Let’s talk about the parts that you like. What do you like about yourself?
i have pretty eyes. and long eyelashes. and great hair. and a smokin’ ass. and a really nice profile. and my boobs. i actually like my boobs. I’ve had babies thrice. and i still like my boobs. now there’s something to be said for that.
Public Service Announcements:
song of the day: of course, You’re Beautiful by James Blunt.
please head on over to Cheaper than Therapy – my other blog. go on. i’ll wait. go. go see what’s sprouted….finally….on my daughter’s head. and see how i’m all kinds of crazy. go on.
so…i did it. i joined 365 days. come check out my pictures. come and join!!
I like my eyes. And my legs. Wish that I liked more, but I like knowing that I’m not alone in that feeling…
That was a great video! but in the last yuppy suburb we lived in, the pampered housewives who spend all day at the gym, have two hundred dollar dye jobs, get manicures every week, etc. actually looked like the MODEL! And my kids used to wonder why I didn’t look more like cyndi’s mom. there are people who not only buy into that image, but who actually have the resources and the time and devote it all to actually ACHIEVING that goal. Where does that leave the rest of us?
Fabulous post, Ali! 😉 That video is amazing. 5 things I like about myself (you know this is hard for me, too! Cuz we’re a lot alike, you and I!!)
1) my eyes are big and blue/green.
2) my hair is thick and a unique colour (no highlights or colour for me)
3) I have full lips.
4) I have good collar bones.
5) I’m freakishly flexible — which is fun and enables me to do some beautiful things with my body (like, in yoga class, nia or dance classes)
Thanks for this. It feels good. 🙂
hi ali,loved that video.see any of us plain janes can be trasformed into a hot chick!i myself,like being a plain jane,i have no anxiety about aging,or being ugly or…now if on the other hand i was a beauty i’d have tons of anxiety provoking things to worry about.so i bow down to my flaws because they make me who i am.and besides i have beautiful daughters so can’t be that hideous looking. so to anyone who thinks they are ugly i would tell them to look at their children because the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
LOL- you are so fucking awesome! little credit giver, you! 🙂
what do i like about myself? i’m funnier than shit. and crazy, but in a fun way. i think my eyes are nice and even though i have a HUGE ghetto bootie of an ass, i think it’s hot. behold the power of the ghetto bootie. i should bow to my ass every morning, but let’s not get crazy. 🙂 i think my personality makes me cuter. and even though there are tons of things that are not physically perfect about me, i don’t really care.
I like my height (5’11”), my long legs, my curly hair, my long eyelashes. Although I am not totally loving my body, it is definitely the healthiest it has ever been so I’ll take it over the “old” one!
Great post, btw, Ali! That video is disturbing. Really makes ya think.
I love the Dove Realy Beauty campaign, especially the self-esteem for young girls (click on this link the get the link to their FAB Tv spot: http://urbanmoms.typepad.com/cool_products_and_stuff/2005/06/index.html ). I worry about this all of the time with my daughter. She is 3.5 and oblivious but it won’t be long. She met another 3 year old who said to her “I’m skinnier and prettier than you!” I couldn’t believe it! I felt sick. Luckily, my daughter didn’t even get that this was meant to be a good thing and looked at her like she was nuts. It’s only a matter of time, though.
I like my smile, my laugh, my more green than hazel eyes, and my feet. My body is a work in progress after four kids. I like that I leave most mornings (and yes go to work) without makeup. Though one of my male co-workers commented that no make-up means I have a wholesome kind of look (compliment, I am not sure). I like that I do not have fake nails, or fake body parts. I like that I do not own a make up kit as I do not have the time or funds to stock it. In the bottom of my bag, there lies one eyeliner, one mascara and lip gloss.
My eyes, my skin, my long neck and my “perfect” nose (according to my Dad, NOT me)…everything below the shoulders needs a load of work!