IMAGE-IMAGE-IMAGE 2

In part 1 of IMAGE-IMAGE-IMAGE I used the term everyday woman freely  without describing what my definition is.

An everyday woman is:

·         Of any race, ethnicity, or culture

·         Working, underpaid, unemployed

·         A mother, aunt, or daughter

·         Not necessarily content with her body image

·         Self-conscious

·         On average about 140 pounds

Where did our negative body image come from? Our mothers? Our friends? Media? While media takes the cake with persuading American women that beauty means to be thin, your culture also plays a part. Latin women are known to be curvaceous as well as confident. Latin men love their full figured Latino women. So, should all American’s relocate to Latin communities or countries? I think not.

Like the new Lifetime show,  How to Look Good Naked, we as a society need to redefine what beauty truly is and remember that true beauty comes from within. We need to teach ourselves to self-love rather than self-loathe. While bypass surgery and crash diets may seem appealing, it won’t change your mind or your heart.

American women, what is so wrong with accepting your bodies?

I challenge you. Whether you are 15 or 55, black, yellow, or pea green. I challenge you to love every part of yourself. If you wake up in the morning and don’t like what you see in the morning like me, change what you see. Take out that red lipstick you were always too shy to wear and use it for once. Write on your mirror ‘I AM BEAUTIFUL!’ Yes, women for once, do something for you. And post this saying all around your house. If your husband asks what you’re doing, tell him, I’m beautiful and clearly you don’t tell me enough! And if you’re single like me, it’ll be that added umph you need when you’re feeling down. 

Research what works well with your body type. Don’t know your body type? Do a little google search and I think you’ll be able too. Find out if darker jeans work best or a wrap dress. Trust me, when you find something that works with what you’re working with, it’s magic and it’ll boost that inner self-confidence. Once you’ve found that perfect outfit, go get your hair down, nothing crazy though. And when you get back in that mirror, get out that lipstick and write on the mirror then put a little on.

And when life has you down remember the following:

LAUGH! Hahaha. Remembering you have a sense of humor is important.

Eat healthier. Yes, fast food seems oh so convenient, but it also isn’t the best for your health. Snack smart and sensibly. Throw a bag of mixed nuts in your purse or snag a few of those cheerios!

Get Moving! Yes exercise people! Instead of driving, walk to where you have to go. Take the stairs instead of elevator. Trust me; your thighs will thank me.

Express Yourself. Bottling up your emotions is a no-no. Let it out. Not comfortable talking to someone? Start a journal, or draw what you’re feeling.

Think Positive. If you think today’s going to be a good day and it’ll be a good day. Think it’s going to be a bad day and it’ll be a bad thing. The mind is a powerful thing.

It’s crazy how small changes can make you feel so much better.

So, self-conscious American women, up for the challenge?

IMAGE-IMAGE-IMAGE

PART ONE:

Weight + Image:

America’s fall into the world of all this

Superficial + Unhealthy

America, home of the thin and superficial

America, home of the super-thin and materialistic

Amerca, home of the obese and extremely self-conscious

Sooo, whats up with American women feeling like they don’t measure up when it comes to weight and image? Could it be because the average American woman is 5’4’’ and weighs 140 pounds? It could be. It could also be because plastered on billboards, in magazines, and on TV are super-thin and mostly Caucasian women who look nothing like the everyday woman. Could it be because the average American model is 5’11’’ and weighs 117 pounds? Could be.

In the movie Shallow Hal, the main character, Jack Black, views overweight women as beautiful and thin. He views their “inner beauty”. He is deemed an outcast by his friends and thought to be crazy to be attracted to a woman who wasn’t 110lbs.

Society urges women to try this diet pill and try that. From hip-hop abs to nutrisystem, it seems like society cannot get away from the thin-craze. In one magazine I was reading I found 6 ads for ‘magic’ diet pills. And even saw an ad for plastic surgery. Clearly these ads wouldn’t have been created if there weren’t overweight people. Knowing that is that case, why feature stick then makeup packed women who look nothing like the everyday women?

 The Dove Campaign for real beauty caused a lot of outrage worldwide. Why are those kind of women now on billboards? They’re not attractive, they’re not pretty! News flash: those women dressed in white bras and panties, well they’re you’re wives, sisters, mothers, and daughters.

Dove began the campaign because they like many women in society felt that beauty had a narrow and unchanged view. Their goal was to redefine what beauty is so it accepts all women and challenges them to accept and love every inch, roll, and curve.

Another organization encouraging women to accept who they are is the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA). Started in 1969 the NAAFA strives to banish discrimination based solely on body size. The NAAFA seeks to empower women through membership, education, and advocacy. It’s important to state that their goal isn’t to necessarily lose weight, but to get to a point where you are healthy and feel good about yourself.

When did image start becoming survival of the thinnest?

In a culture built on fast cars and sex appeal where does the average women fit in?