“If tomorrow, women woke up and decided they really liked their bodies, just think how many industries would go out of business.”
— Dr Gail Dines
When Dr Gail Dines said the above quote, she really hit the nail on the head. Whether you realise it or not, so many industries thrive from targeting those of us who are at times insecure and our genuine desire to change ourselves.
We see products and marketing every single day that tries to get an emotional response from us so we buy into the promise that product X provides. These companies know all too well that women can be insecure and super hard on themselves to live up to some sort of picture of who they think they should be. Not to mention, if we’re having an ‘off’ day, it may mean that we inevitably buy into promises that usually fall well short of the intended result! However, some of the time you’ll find a product or someone who actually cares about your success but bottom line, but there’s a catch….YOU have to be the one to do the work. No one can do it for you.
There are numerous diet programs, boot camps and online plans promising you’ll lose kilos upon kilos in a few weeks, teas or pills that promise you’ll get a flat tummy, waist trainers that guarantee you’ll have a more feminie and curvy figure, supplement companies promising to drop your fat faster than ever and it doesn’t stop there. The beauty industry is well known for presenting manipulated images as ideal representations of what we all should strive to achieve. These images are supposed to make us feel great about the investment that we’re potentially making and subconsciously allow us to think that perhaps we’ll look like that and we’ll be as happy as “she” is if we buy the represented product. However, it’s important to know that a lot of the time, the women used as models in those advertisements don’t actually use the products and the products themselves are full of empty promises!
All we have to do is look at the latest social media platforms at the myriad of examples to compare ourselves to and it’s enough for even the most confident woman, to feel pretty inadequate. However, while we can’t change what is being presented to us anytime soon, there IS something we can ALL do about how we perceive ourselves and what we allow ourselves to accept as fact.
Learning to love who we are and allowing ourselves to accept our imperfections is probably the hardest thing you’ll have to face in your search to be truly happy in your own skin. Until you are able to look at your (judgmental) self on all levels, you’ll continue on your merry-go-round of self hate, negative self talk and resentment.
So for those of you who are ready to take a good look at yourselves, you may find the following tips helpful:
// You don’t need the magical product: If you’re looking for a solution to feel better and look better, it’s not going to come in a box! Eat healthy, move often and take time out of your schedule to do things you love – your body will thank you for it.
// You’ll never be happy if you keep comparing: You don’t need a smaller waist, a bigger bum, larger boobs or anything else – what you need is to stop comparing! Whether that is on social media, in real life or elsewhere, never compare yourself to another person as you are perfectly imperfect. Setting goals, should always be based around health! Looking good is a side effect!!
// You can love every inch: Every flaw, stretch mark, wrinkle and more – these are all signs that you’ve lived life and lived it well! Often society makes us feel like we don’t have the right to love every bit of who we are – but we absolutely can! Love ALL of YOU… your mind, your body and your soul and appreciate yourself for the amazing person you are.
When you feel good within yourself, you won’t pay attention to the silly magic product ads with empty promises. Instead you’ll keep on loving yourself for all that you are!
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