Hello, Beautiful! Yes, you!
No need to blush or feel embarrassed – you are beautiful, and that's a fact. Are you sitting in sweatpants or pajamas, with your hair in a mess? Are you makeup-free, with cosy, colorful socks on your feet instead of stilettos? Or maybe you just can't bring yourself to say, "I am beautiful"? Do you know what that means? It just means that you are you, and you look no worse than the perfection created in the world of advertising. You see, perfection doesn't exist. Because perfection means something different for everyone. And perfection may not necessarily be what the majority thinks it is. It suggests or convinces you of its profitable point of view, preying on human imperfections. Beauty has more than one name - and most importantly - it's not determined by appearance.
What is considered beautiful?
Magazine covers, photos on social media, and advertisements on television or the Internet present nearly the same faces. We say they are the same because these faces always smile, with Hollywood-style, snow-white teeth, shiny, bouncy waist-length hair, perfectly applied make-up, and a lean body wearing fashionable outfits.
You might think that this is what the perfect woman looks like since virtually the same canon of beauty is presented everywhere. Do you feel less attractive, too fat, or not perfect enough when you look at these women? Now let's do a little exercise. Try to remember their faces clearly. Can you tell what's special about each of them? Not easy, is it? That's right! Do you know why? It's because they're so similar to each other. After all, they've been adapted to a certain scheme that the world wants to present and sell to you.
Let's look at the topic using a recurring example. A celebrity shows off an impeccable body. She has textbook body measurements, 90/60/90. When asked about the secret of her "perfect" look, she casually replies that it's her nature. She doesn't do anything and eats a lot of sweets, although she often sips a strawberry-flavored diet shake, to which she will recommend a discount code on her social media profile.
However, the truth is different. Behind all this, there is a diet, workouts, and elimination of certain foods, on top of even more sacrifices. There are numerous treatments in beauty salons in between a strict diet and workouts. Slimming, firming, reducing wrinkles, eliminating broken blood vessels and stretch marks... then, after all that - it's back to everyday life, if there's any time left for that at all. But we don't talk about it aloud, about just how much one must sacrifice to fit into the big world of advertising. You open your web browser and come across an article titled: "X caught WITHOUT make-up! Fans are shocked!" - and suddenly, you find out that even the whole series of sacrifices mentioned above are not enough. Because in the world of great advertising, there is one more mysterious element that makes everyone look perfect. Its name is Photoshop. And lately, its new companion: the Instagram filter. You can't buy it in any drugstore, so a quick morning trip to the store to get some bread can end up on the first pages of search engines - much to the surprise of fans because it turns out that this perfect and flawless miss X looks like a normal girl. On top of that, it turns out she has exactly the same problems, worries, and responsibilities as the rest of us! How's that?! Everyone feels cheated. When she takes off her gala dress, washes off her make-up, and combs out her hair, she turns into the girl next door, which all of us are.
Beauty or a repetitive pattern?
Another diet only brought you minimally closer to your dream goal, and another skincare product didn't work half as well as advertised online? Do you exercise regularly, but your body doesn't resemble those shown on TV or online? Dear, you are not the one with the problem.
The problem lies in identifying with the standards of beauty created by the media, which only exist there. In addition, they are accompanied by a good portion of image editing.
So, if one day you take a look at yourself and you think that you are ugly, fat, lazy, and unable to change anything in your life - go back to the article with the "perfect" Ms. X caught in sweatpants and without make-up to remind yourself that these are women just like us. They have the same worries and problems, and their "perfect" look is a commodity they have to work hard for.
The advertising of unnatural bodies and the message that this is what the perfect body is supposed to look like is damaging to many people. To Ms. X herself, whose body becomes a canvas for advertising, and to young girls who look at their bodies with hatred - because they're so far from perfection. It's damaging to each of us - because our natural beauty is marginalized, and attempts are made to tell us that what is artificial and basically unrealistic to achieve is what we desire. The result? Lots of beautiful but insecure women.
So, what's considered beautiful?
Defining someone as "beautiful" through the prism of appearance is not very reasonable and, at the same time, superficial. Because beauty consists of a whole range of factors and qualities, there is no scheme to define it.
Do you know when you are most beautiful? When you show joy, peace, confidence, and good vibes. When you are yourself - with your joys and your worries. With your cute little wrinkle or dimple in your cheek. In your oversized sweatpants and colorful socks. With your braces and fine hair. You're beautiful when you are you, and you feel good about yourself. And you feel good about yourself when...you are you! 😅 Because beauty is what we carry inside us and share with others. Let's leave Photoshop to graphics specialists - after all, changing skin texture, hair color, and ironing out wrinkles with a computer mouse is no easy task! It's just a shame that the line between filtered and edited content and reality is so blurred because it has a subliminal effect on people who should walk through life with joy and confidence.
Let me tell you something else, dear. Trying to fit into the canon of "perfection" is a waste of life and energy. Look at the different standards of beauty from a few decades ago. Look at women from other countries and cultures.
In every decade, in every corner of the world, something different was, is, and will be considered beautiful. It's not about following "trends" related to the appearance of others and trying to fit in. You wouldn't have enough time for that! So, live your life in a way that makes you happy - do whatever brings you joy! Be yourself and cherish what is genuine. Beauty is within you - and the one thing that doesn't change throughout your life - is your heart.
Beauty depends on who is looking. Nothing is beautiful until someone appreciates it and feels it in their heart. Literally, everything can be beautiful. Beauty does not mean that something is pretty. Beauty can even be physically ugly. Beauty can be difficult, and it can be created through pain. Beauty is unique. Beauty is real. The hardest thing is to see beauty in ourselves because we would have to love our imperfections. Maybe it's worth a try? Supposedly, only then the real magic of life begins. 😉
We look forward to hearing your stories in the comments and messages. Join our Club! #getready
Comentarii