What is your idea of beauty? There are many different pictures that are presented to us in the media. Think of the different body styles from famous women such as curvy Jennifer Lopez to tiny athlete Simone Biles, and plus size model Ashley Graham. They all are beautiful women with their individual figures. Think about the everyday women in your life. My guess is that they are as different as the three just referenced. What about yourself? Do you look for and appreciate your individual beauty?
What individual beauty do you see when you look in the mirror? Your eyes, smile, body parts, muscles, figure? Or do you want the opposite of what you have?
Some opposite examples:
- Full figured vs. slim figured
- Straight hair vs. curly hair
- Small busted vs. large busted
- Large feet vs. small feet
Here is a tale of two gals. One is full figured with beautiful curves. However, she felt out of proportion. The other gal is slim figured. She felt boyish, and out of proportion. They both wanted what the other one had. The interesting point is that both gals felt out of proportion. One felt like she had too much in certain places while the other felt she did not have enough in places. I wonder if they would have been happy and satisfied to have traded and have the other one’s “out of proportion” body.
How can we learn to appreciate what we have?
Having confidence is our beauty. We are all beautiful in our own individual way.
We can give ourselves grace and look for the good things about our bodies. Find joy in what we do have. Here is an example. When I look in the mirror, I am thankful for my thin arms that allow me to hug, cook, keep me balanced, and help to put on my shoes. I am thankful for my feet. In the past, I referred to them as big feet. My dear dad always teased me that I wore the shoe boxes instead of the shoes inside! But I am thankful that my feet give be stability for my daily activities. When I look at my body, I concentrate on the joys it brings me instead of what I could perceive as negative flaws.
When you look at your body, what do you see? Can you concentrate on the gifts of what you do have to look for and appreciate your individual beauty?