If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
Girls need to start viewing themselves as more than their bodies. Beauty is more than outer appearance, and it's about time women banded together to knock down the image of perfection society has given us.
Stress and anxiety are bad -- for both you and your growing baby. Your kid is super lucky to have a conscientious momma, but don't turn a good thing into a negative one by bugging out about how toxic your shampoo is (easier said than done, I know).
Allure's highlighting of Saldana's weight reduces this talented performer to a one-dimensional image, reinforcing the strange and fraught relationship women (and men) have with one of the most reviled twentieth-century innovations: the bathroom scale.
Two women that for years have been portrayed by the media as the "American Woman's Dream" are now facing scrutiny because of their weights, their pregnancy weights. Amazing. So what exactly does it mean to be too fat and or too skinny in today's society?
Clitoraid, an organization that has devoted six years to humanitarian work such as repairing clitorises that have been harmed by genital mutilation, is happy to announce, its "first annual International Clitoris Awareness Week, May 6 to May 12."
With so many cute vintage glass jars and vessels available these days at flea markets and craft stores, it's easy to create the perfect eco-chic gift made with love.
"Michael thinks you're already beautiful, and he worries about you when you have surgery. Have you ever thought, Gosh, this isn't worth it?"
In our world, it's not just models who are expected to rip off their clothes and expose themselves to the gaze of everyone within eyeshot. It's all of us -- even those of us who are, well, not quite lottery winners.
Like Russell, I am one of those who benefited from the genetic lottery; first as a professional dancer and then as a Wilhelmina model. For both, I relied on the fortune of good genes. Like Russell, I felt ambivalent about "cashing out" on being "a pretty white girl," but it's what I did.
It's easy to laugh at beauty customs as being ridiculous or backwards when you're an outsider, but when you're on the inside few things can seem more important. And we're all on the inside to some extent.
Fad beauty can be everything from Rubenesque voluptuousness to elongated necks. It can include tattooed eyelids or lotus feet. What is overlooked is that fad beauty is often created by masochists who establish control over others by making them believe that they are never enough.
Russell's point that beauty isn't everything is well taken, but maybe that's not the only idea that's limiting us. The act of segregating people into labels based on looks could be a far more dangerous issue.
There are no money problems. There are people problems. Success is not how many zeroes your bank account has. It's about making the most of the life you have.
My mother showed me that in the midst of life's pain and turmoil, grief and loss, I can find great comfort in the beauty of a tree, deep joy at the sight of the moon and a sense of wonder by simply noticing the world around me.
In a world filled with false eyelashes, push-up bras, fake nails, fake tans and (at the risk of being hated by women everywhere) Spanx, are we really just creating an "imaginary" self?
What does "beauty" mean? It's hard to discern, especially in our society, exactly what makes a person beautiful.
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