True Beauty

I recently watched the documentary America the Beautiful, a film by Darryl Roberts that examines our country’s obsession with outward beauty. It does so by tackling a wide spectrum of issues, including the unrealistic standards of beauty dictated to the public by the media and pop culture, increased interest in plastic surgery, eating disorders and toxic ingredients used in most cosmetics. The film also includes interviews with marketing reps, doctors and regular men and women. All of this is dispersed between clips of a 12 year old supermodel as she vies for fame and recognition among the fashion industry’s top dogs. I found the film to be very intriguing and informative and would recommend it to anyone interested in such a subject. But this film offered me much more than information; it got me thinking about how each of us defines beauty and the standards we hold ourselves to.

As a young woman living in America, I’ve fallen victim to the cycle of flashy imagery.Like most girls, I grew up with confusion about body image and beauty, despite being raised by parents who placed no emphasis on such things. My father always told me I was beautiful exactly as I was and my mother rarely used make-up or cosmetics, but it wasn’t until I got older that I really started to love myself totally. Honestly, I probably came to that realization at a much younger age than most people. Still, as a teenager I would compare myself to every girl I saw in magazines and on television. This is nothing new really, but it seems that with every generation the expectations of beauty become more difficult to live up to. When I was growing up it was teen magazines and acne commercials; today its girls in their early twenties who are opting for plastic surgery to “fix” problem areas. And it’s not just women; men are being bombarded with these ideas too.

If you really pay attention, practically every piece of media we are exposed to is telling us that something is wrong with us and offers a solution. Most of us buy into that logic, not even realizing that we are being “sold”. We spend billions of dollars each year on products that promise to make our bodies look younger, thinner and firmer and our hair sleeker, shinier and stronger. These claims are usually being marketed to us by a beautiful airbrushed supermodel to give the impression that if we use the product, we too can achieve perfection. But when will the quest for the perfect body, hair, face, etc end?

The truth is, it’s easy to blame the media for making us a nation obsessed with outward beauty, and I agree they contribute to it greatly, but I feel we each need to take responsibility for what we allow ourselves to believe. Attempting to live up to someone else’s standard of beauty will ultimately prove to be hazardous to your overall health. When will we realize that health and beauty isn’t about how much we weigh, how big or small our noses or butts are, our bust size, the color of our skin or the clothes we wear? True beauty lies in how we feel about ourselves, inside and out, not in how the world sees us.

If you have time, I suggest checking out the documentary. If nothing else, it will give you a new perspective on beauty. And afterwards, be sure to tell yourself how gorgeous you are. It’s amazing how much better we feel when we stop comparing ourselves to everyone else and start rejoicing in the beautiful things that makes us each unique.