Real Beauty

So, who defines real beauty? I think the media pushes our perception of the "perfect person" into a twisted, distorted way of thinking, so we don't see ourselves as who we really are, as who other people see us. It is sad really, the way the media distorts and makes the 4% of women in the United States who can fit the "perfect woman" size 4 model so supers-ized that we believe we have to be like that. In order to be perfect, in order to be happy, we have to look that way. Otherwise, our worlds will crumble and we won't know who we really are. Yet, the media has already made our worlds crumble around us, because they push the negative thoughts into our heads, we weren't born thinking that we weren't perfect. We were born with a desire to live life freely and be content with ourselves, but when we get old enough, we start thinking and the media starts whispering in our heads-"be thinner, be more toned, eat this diet and you will have the best abs ever." Yet is that what we really want? What has happened to being comfortable with ourselves, in our own skin, for who we are? I saw this video recently and wanted to share it with you. What do you think of it? What does it make you question? What conflict does it bring up in you? Hopefully this link will take you to it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpaOjMXyJGk

This video blew my mind. It just proved to me how distorted we ourselves, no matter what stage of life we are in. And how different others can see us, even strangers we meet for a few minutes. So, stop, take a breath, and remind yourself of how beautiful you are, or if you are male, how handsome you are. But really dig deep because I think the true qualities that make us beautiful are on the inside. I was encouraged once to write a "I am" list of all the positive "I am" statements that I could think about. Its amazing what we can come up with, and how much those statements had to do about who I was, not what I looked like. Beauty.......what is it, and who defines it anyway?