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I recently saw one of the most famous models from the 1980’s on the cover of a women’s magazine. Wearing a bikini, the headline focused on beauty in our sixties. Flat abs, no visible wrinkles or saggy skin, no stretch marks or noticeable veins, no cellulite. In other words, unreal beauty and unattainable for most of us.
It’s this sort of imagery that appears to contribute to body dissatisfaction in so many women. Most commonly, it does not manifest itself as dissatisfaction with the body as a whole but with particular parts. Those of you, who relate to this, will be able to identify the “culprits” that make women feel so ashamed – hips, waist, thighs, butts, and arms. Such dissatisfaction fuels a multi-million dollar industry of fad diets, weight loss programs, diet pills, body-slimming clothes, and plastic surgery.
In fact, some women feel so uncomfortable in their own skin that they feel a sense of dread when summer approaches and relief with the start of fall and the end of bathing suit season, no need for exposing their bodies until the return of summer next year.
So what can we do about this? How do we work toward body acceptance? These are only a few ideas, but I would welcome your own – especially anything you’ve done that’s felt helpful to you.
1) Try to develop a sense of humor and outrage about what the media is trying to tell you (and sell you).
2) Identify false images.
3) Don’t play the comparison game. We each have unique bodies that are beautiful in their own ways.
4) Focus on strength and health rather than size and unattainable “perfection”.
5) Think of how capable and complex our bodies are and what they do for us every day.
6) End the self-critical body talk. Our daughters and friends may not notice the change overtly, but it will have a positive impact.
Too often, the larger the body the smaller the self-esteem. By learning to accept our bodies, we move closer toward accepting ourselves.
