If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
The Blog
Kids who see unrealistic bodies or faces or clothing -- especially on folks they admire -- can feel inadequate. Here's how to pull back the curtain on Photoshopped images.
What is it about our culture that makes it so darned hard for girls to have good body image? Why, in fact, does bad body image plague America's great, multi-generational sorority?
I've never heard a woman say, "I shouldn't eat those fries they're bad for my inner peace." No guy checking himself out in the mirror ever tells himself, "Your values and morals are looking hot today."
My hair won't let me not be bold. It won't let me not be brave. It won't let me hide. And so with it, or, I guess, without it, I am my bravest self.
Even adults who have struggled with anorexia nervosa for years can get better -- but do they ever recover completely?
Accepting our bodies -- and meaning it -- is harder than it seems. I don't want to live my life always five or 10 or 30 pounds away from being okay with myself.
I am breathing an even deeper sigh of relief that I have boys of late, but my jig has lost its spring. Because even though I don't have a daughter, I've become hyper-aware that you do.
If you are on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter, you have seen fitness inspiration images just in time for "bikini season" to motivate you to "get fit" -- we call them "fitspiration." This is NOT healthy or inspiring.
If we really want to see a better tomorrow for our girls, we must include them in the national debates around gender equality today.
Let's change our definition of 'pretty' to what really matters. Maybe a pretty person is one who is authentic, self-respecting, and kind to others.
When my daughter asks whether there's another baby in my not-perfectly-flat tummy, or even why I wear makeup, I find myself bending like a limbo champ to get my answer right.
Maybe this is just what I look like at 26. Sometimes fresh, sometimes utterly tired. Sometimes taut, sometimes slackening. In flux. Which is what we all are, always, whether we know it or not.
Although many individuals and organizations across the spectrum step forward in speaking out about their fight to improve self-acceptance, tons of mixed signals from those same outlets often scream insecurity.
"Guys, no need to worry about meeting a biggie-size chick "down-sizing" to an 8 like when you're dating online. We'll be checking labels at the door!"
Caring for our looks is important not only in prolonging our physical and emotional health as we age, but in maintaining mutual attraction in our relationships.
With the eruption of thinspo and pro-ana material on the web, it's reasonable to assume that Seventeen might take this opportunity to feature girls of varying sizes and shapes.
