I’d been meaning to write a post about the unrealistic burdens of modern beauty conceptions for weeks, but today when I came across another video about how critical women are of themselves, I was like, Damn.
Are you hard on yourself? Do you have a little voice in your head that tells you you’re not good enough, pretty enough, skinny enough, smart enough, fill-in-the-blank-with-your-inner-demon du jour…? It’s time to start speaking more gently and lovingly to ourselves. To treat ourselves with respect and dignity. To accept that we’re not perfect and if anyone expects us to be, fuck’em maybe they don’t belong in our inner circle.
Where the hell do we start? One small way is by realizing that the images we see all around us every day are a cosmetic, Photoshop-obsessed fantasy. The first video below is 1:27 minutes and shows an “evolution” from regular girl to billboard perfect model. See what you think.
The whole neck stretching thing kinda freaked me out. I had no idea.
This next video is a little longer (3 minutes), but carries a powerful message. How would you describe yourself to someone who can’t see you? Would that image be accurate?
It struck me when the woman mentioned that how we perceive ourselves affects not only the jobs we apply for and the friends we make, but also how we treat our children and those around us.
Are you seeing the beauty in yourself? If not, are you ready to start doing something about it?
Misty Dietz + Harley James | intense, emotional romance 
The second video was very moving. Love this. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for commenting, Liz, and for being the type of strong, vibrant woman putting out such healthy messages to others! xo
xo Back at you, Misty!
Wow, that second one was so powerful. I think as women were are way more critical of ourselves and that we do need to look for the good, not the bad things.
Exactly! And to get this positive thinking to gel, we need to have constant reminders like these clips. Thanks so much for visiting, Jerri! 🙂
Loved this Misty…if only we could mandate that every woman watch this…so poignant…Love you!
Love you, too, Matthews ❤
This is be very interesting. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you were here, Mary! 🙂
THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS.
TERESA REASOR
My pleasure, Teresa! I wish all of us would remember this message to be strengthened and more kind to ourselves every day. Thanks so much for visiting. xoxo
So powerful. Thank you!
I’m so glad you came, thank you, Pauline!
Thanks for this. The second one made me cry a little. People are always telling me that I am pretty. Of course, I don’t see it. I only see myself the way a few people have treated me in my life – negatively. The verbal abuse, the hard hands of childhood, and disrespectful ways of people close to me. I knew they always enhanced photography and that even models have their flaws, but that first video showed how they do it. That was amazing. Thanks again.
Marry, Life dealt you a hard hand. That is a difficult place to rise from, but you most certainly can. It is hard work, but really, what else matters more right now…get whole and feeling good or……..??? If you like to read, I have two suggestions for you. One book that changed my life and helped guide me out a very dark time is not even really a book, but a journal. It’s called: Simple Abundance Journal of Gratitude by Sarah Ban Breathnach.
It prompts you to find 5 things to be grateful for every day. If you stick with it, day by day your perspective begins to shift in a profound way.
Another book that filled me with peace was How To Practice by the Dalai Lama. Also, Born for Love by Leo Buscaglia was phenomenal. And if you’re a woman of the Christian faith, Jesus in Blue Jeans by Laurie Beth Jones (particularly the section on Perspective).
Surround yourself with people who transmit love and positivity. Listen to your inner wisdom. Be kind and gentle with yourself. If you scatter the seeds of love everywhere you go, somehow that love begins to change how you feel about and see yourself. You can do this. xo
Misty,
Brought me to tears! The second one made me acknowledge how we woman tend to think so low of ourselves. I would describe myself that way too. And I loved the first one too. It showed how models are just as ordinary, looks wise, as the rest of us. That kind of beauty is a illusion. We need to look inside ourselves and find our beauty an appreciate who we are and how others see us. LOVED IT! Keep doing what you do!
Diane, surrounding ourselves with encouraging and strong women like you is what keeps me centered. Conversations like this need to happen regularly to combat everything we’re bombarded with in the media. Women of all ages struggle with the same things: self-esteem, body issues, guilt at not doing this or doing too much of that… I’m sick of that shit. 🙂
Time for us to realize we are who we are and that’s good enough. We have a right to strive for our dreams – however we define our own success. Our differences are beautiful.
Thanks so much for stopping by. Love you! xo
Great post. The video picture worth a thousand words…
But I’ll have to check out the previous blogs on a woman’s mojo. Things that make a woman smile. And Misty, this one made me smile. Thanks, Gina
Thank you for your go-give spirit! You have mojo in spades, girlfriend! xo