Ladies...How many times have you heard the above titled phrase and cringed? Well if you have, you are not alone- yet somehow, we always forget that.
I recently read an article where Julianne Hough stated she wants girls everywhere to know that she does not starve herself and at the same token can eat whatever she wants because her genes allow her to do so. However, further stated that she wishes girls would love themselves for who they are and not compare themselves to women on magazine covers because that is not true reality. Pretty good advice huh? Well…not so much, considering comments received following the article were all critism against her for voicing her opinion. I found this extremely comical.
Here she was, innocently stating what she must have thought was positive advice to women everywhere who are hard on their body image; and yet the message was received negatively and seen as snotty. This should not be the case.
It is so easy to assume that just because one is a celebrity, who’s skinny, beautiful and talented that their life must be all roses and their self image free of worries. But as far as the species of women is concerned, we can all attest to the fact that we are all notoriously finding flaws with ourselves and always striving for a perfection that does not exist. Because we are so used to putting ourselves down, when a “skinny” girl tries to give advice on being happy with our bodies, we automatically resent it and go into attack mode. ‘How dare she insult my intelligence with fake empathy?’
The sad fact is this: yes, some women are blessed with lucky genes that allow them to eat whatever they want without gaining a pound. But they are the exception to the rule. The vast majority of us however need to struggle our whole lives to make sure we stay within a healthy weight. This should make us feel better that the imperfect body-and not the perfectly polished body- is the norm and not the exception.
The point I am trying to make is that as women we should unite to accept each other’s differences because we all struggle with some form of self depreciation- no matter how perfect the other woman may look on the outside. Ultimately our differences and imperfections are the characteristics that make us beautiful. And I honestly think that that is what Julianne was trying to say: ‘Don’t hate me because I’m “perfect” because I’m not, and I’m just like you!’
In a recent forward I received, two sentences stood out that hopefully will drive my message here further:
Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.
HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN,
IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.
