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Real Beauty and Confidence – A Few More Thoughts

31 Comments

Beautiful womenRecently, we talked about the lies our culture tells about women and beauty and sexuality. Like the one that says you have to look like an Italian supermodel in order to be beautiful.

Or be built like a Playboy bunny in order to be sexy. I shared some ideas for overcoming those lies and encouraged all of us to take care of our bodies, focus on our best features, and live confidently.

But,  I also know it’s very hard to move past the cultural messages about women. A friend shared yesterday how she has struggled for years with her feelings about her appearance, and how those struggles have affected choices she’s made.

I hate that she has dealt with those feelings for so many years, but we all know she isn’t alone. Most women, including the ones we consider beautiful, struggle to feel attractive. I fight that battle every day.

So I’ve been encouraged recently to see the most recent Dove “Real Beauty” video show up everywhere. You may have seen it on Facebook or elsewhere, but I wanted to share it here too. I find it very moving, because it’s message – that we see ourselves much more negatively than others see us – is so true.

The woman who spoke at the very end of the video really summed it up for me – “We spend a lot of time as women analyzing and trying to fix the things that aren’t quite right, but we should spend more time appreciating the things that we do like.” 

Yes, that is exactly what we should do.

 

Comments

  2. Chris at Hye Thyme Cafe says

    Glad you posted this. I have scrolled past it a number of times on Facebook but hadn’t actually watched it – probably would have forgotten all about it. Pretty powerful! As for the Heidi pics, I still think she’s beautiful, but she’s no smiling in them, so that makes some difference too. [#TALU]

    Reply

    • GC says

      Thanks Chris. I definitely think she is beautiful either way. I ust wanted to point out that the way we usually see her is a somewhat “created” image, because if we are comparing ourselves to that image, we’re going to end up very frustrated every time.

      Thanks for stopping by from TALU.
      Gaye

      Reply

  3. kenyagjohnson says

    Great post. When I saw Heidi recently on something where the pappazzi or someone captured video of her rescuing her son I was confused. I thought to myself which on is Heidi, it doesn’t look like her. I can’t imagine what it must be like to have the pressure to be beautiful all the time. There’s a few movies that Halle Berry did where she looks pretty rough. You think to yourself how did they make her looks so bad, but really that is them without makeup – Like Oprah in The Color Purple. TALU

    Reply

    • GC says

      Thanks Kenya. I do think it must be very tough to try to live up to a “beautiful woman” image all the time. I wouldn’t like to be under that pressure.

      Gaye

      Reply

  4. Sunny Simple Life says

    Yes it is so hard. I once read if you want to be depressed then by those beauty and fashion magazines. You can never be like those images for sure so I just stick to buying gardening magazines. As the mother of four daughters, this topic is important to me. Thanks for sharing it.

    Reply

    • GC says

      Thanks so much. It can be depressing to look at the media-created images of women. I like the idea of sticking with gardening magazines!

      Gaye

      Reply

  5. kathythechickenchickk says

    I often wonder how much of the damage that is done to the self-esteem of women is a result of messages they receive as youngsters from parents, family members or other authority figures vs popular culture. I never internalized the air-brushed images and have always had a positive self image. I have to think that the blame is not borne entirely by the media.

    Thanks for facilitating this dialogue, I think it’s important.

    Reply

    • GC says

      Hi Kathy – I’m sure you’re right that women’s self-image issues stem from a variety of sources, including messages they receive as children. It may even be that those messages are the most important, and that young girls who learn to value themselves as whole people are less susceptible to the media messages as adults.

      Thanks for stopping by.
      Gaye

      Reply

    • GC says

      The Heidi Klum pictures are remarkable, aren’t they? Yes, we really and truly do need to be kinder to ourselves.

      Thanks so much for stopping by.
      Gaye

      Reply

    • GC says

      Thanks so much for stopping by from the SITS Sharefest. Yes, that ad really encourages me. I’ve probably watched it a dozen times, and find it moving every time.

      Gaye

      Reply

    • GC says

      Thanks Joan – I was so glad to see the Heidi Klum photos that you published. They really drive home the idea that we are setting and trying to meet impossible standards of beauty.

      Gaye

      Reply

    • GC says

      Pregnancy and childbirth are tough on our bodies and our self-image! Of course, I think it’s tougher than it should be, because we’re comparing ourselves to false images.

      Thanks so much for stopping by.
      Gaye

      Reply

  11. Kammie says

    Thank you so much for showing this video. Someone actually brought it up today during our thesis presentations and I didnt know what they were talking about. Now I do. And I have never cried during a COMMERCIAL but this one made me cry. It’s so true. Such an honest and genuine commercial. Beautiful. I’m gonna write about it on my own blog and thank you for linking it on there..

    Reply

    • GC says

      Hi Angel – Thanks for stopping by. I am already following you on Pinterest, and am now following on Bloglovin’.

      Gaye

      Reply

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