**
I've been really disturbed recently by how girls are being effected by photos they see in the media.
How is it okay for any girl or woman to feel bad about their bodies after seeing an ad that has been photoshopped this much? None of the photos we see in magazines or ads are untouched...and yet, we are supposed to look at them as if they are normal? No wonder so many women struggle with body issues and self-confidence! (And shame on them for photoshopping out freckles!)
Girls, remember this next time you look at a magazine.
You are beautiful how you are, flaws and all!
On that same note:
I came across these plates somewhere in the blogosphere...and I am seriously disgusted.
The one on the right says, "for the love of God stop eating."
UGH! I'm so so sick of this weigh-obsessed world we live in!
Please don't buy these plates...spend your money on an ice cream run with your friends instead.
Then I found this:
DIS-GUST-ING.
Gosh, I seriously sat there with my mouth gaping open after reading this ridiculous list.
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE SKINNY TO BE HAPPY
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE SKINNY TO LOOK GREAT
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE SKINNY TO BE NOTICED
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE SKINNY TO GET A PROM DATE
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE SKINNY TO LOVE YOU.
Girls, I hope to God that you do not buy into this. You are beautiful how you are, it doesn't matter if you wear a size 2 or a size 18. Please stop comparing yourselves to other girls or to celebrities in magazines. There is no way you are "supposed" to look. We are not all "supposed" to be skinny. You are not "overweight" you are simply the way you are meant to be, and that is beautiful.
end. of. rant.
How is it okay for any girl or woman to feel bad about their bodies after seeing an ad that has been photoshopped this much? None of the photos we see in magazines or ads are untouched...and yet, we are supposed to look at them as if they are normal? No wonder so many women struggle with body issues and self-confidence! (And shame on them for photoshopping out freckles!)
Girls, remember this next time you look at a magazine.
You are beautiful how you are, flaws and all!
On that same note:
The one on the right says, "for the love of God stop eating."
UGH! I'm so so sick of this weigh-obsessed world we live in!
Please don't buy these plates...spend your money on an ice cream run with your friends instead.
Then I found this:
DIS-GUST-ING.
Gosh, I seriously sat there with my mouth gaping open after reading this ridiculous list.
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE SKINNY TO BE HAPPY
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE SKINNY TO LOOK GREAT
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE SKINNY TO BE NOTICED
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE SKINNY TO GET A PROM DATE
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE SKINNY TO LOVE YOU.
Girls, I hope to God that you do not buy into this. You are beautiful how you are, it doesn't matter if you wear a size 2 or a size 18. Please stop comparing yourselves to other girls or to celebrities in magazines. There is no way you are "supposed" to look. We are not all "supposed" to be skinny. You are not "overweight" you are simply the way you are meant to be, and that is beautiful.
end. of. rant.
45 spoke:
Amen! I loved your rant!!
I can't believe someone would think those plates or that list are okay.
You do not need to be skinny to be beautiful.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this! For speaking so much truth so unashamedly! Ladies, you are beautifully and wonderfully just as you are! Embrace YOU and walk in confidence :]
And don't forget: losing weight and/or being skinny will make you happy. So many ladies I know think that weight = happiness. I'm an average-sized girl, and all of my friends made me feel insecure because they thought I was so skinny, lucky, and happy all the time. But i wasn't.
Thanks for making these great points! I wonder what the celebs think when they see their retouched photos...do they wish they looked like that in real life? How does it affect their perspective?
Will NOT make you happy*
I can't type today...sorry. :)
thank you.
I always find the untouched celeb photos interesting. We are really all just the same. Magazines are soooo touched up no one looks quite normal.
this is a great message to women.
i could not agree more, nothing we see in the print media is an accurate portrayal of reality. it's a standard based in untruth. i've even noticed people i care about "retouching" photos before they put them of fb, blogs ect. we need to see more of the real thing. thanks for posting!
I would soo much rather see the un-touched photos!! They still look beautiful without the photoshop!! =)
Melanie's Randomness
Great! A mais pura verdade!
bjus
This is such a great post. I recently downloaded a free trial of some 'professional retouching software' and retouched my face, just out of curiosity as to what it would change. And y'know what? I didn't look like me anymore. The face on the screen was more symmetrical than mine... but I like my left-leaning smile. The nose was a little more narrow, the ears were a little smaller... but the sparkle was gone. I wish more people were aware that the images that they see in the media aren't realistic and aren't really meant to be. As for that list, well... I pity them if those are the most substantial things they have to be happy about.
xo
Julie
Those plates are just horrible but that list takes the cake! With three little girls of my own we are trying our best to show them that their INNER beauty is what matters and that it will shine through all else :)
Well said, I agree. Thank you, Betsey... <3
I've been thinking about this a lot lately too. I've recently started working out daily and running to train for a marathon. My eating habits have become healthier too. The key there is HEALTHY. I honestly do feel better about myself, but it's not because of the little bit of weight I have lost, but because I am seeing myself do things I never thought I could (like run five miles straight). I want to keep my body healthy to live a full life, not live my whole life to keep my body a certain way.
We need to be so aware of what media and marketers are trying to sell to us.
GREAT post, i'm sharing this on facebook NOW! xxxx
thank you for the inspiring post, betsey! this is something that so many women need to see. xo
Oh boy, what a hard issue. I struggled with anorexia for a LONG time, and stuff like that still gets to me in a big way. It's hard to have a positive body image when everything you read, see and hear tells you you should be ashamed of yourself. And those plates? Talk about sick! I always tell myself to walk away from any "thinspo" and find something healthy to enjoy!
PREACH IT, SISTER!
It makes me so sad and so sick too. I have been blessedly free from the skinny-obsession. Even though I am... uh, more fat than thin. But I am happy with who I am, regardless. :)
thank you for this.
not something that I personally needed to hear, but it is SO true, and I think that as women we need to be reminded of this. there's so much out there telling us things that aren't true.
Betsey, thank you so much for this today. Its just what I needed. Thank you so much also for having the courage to show and say something as ( sometimes ) scary as this can be. I literally am one of those people that says "stop eating" when in reality I havnt eaten that much. Im just now coming to realize that my body really is a beautiful gift from God and that I need to be thankful for it... flaws and all. So thank you. <3 <3 <3. You are a truely beautiful lady.
wow I cant believe how much those photos were retouched, I mean I knew that mag shots were retouched but thats just crazy. Props to you for exposing them.
that is so disgusting to put so much pressure on people to be skinny, like if being skinny is the best thing that could happen to someone. It's good to be in a good shape for health reason like diabetes or heart problems, but not to propagate the skinny look for fashion reasons and make people feel bad about themselves. I feel bless my bf doesn't push me into this type of thinking, because my previous did, and thank god I got rid of him, because its a really dangerous discourse.
thanks for this nice post! You are truly a breath of fresh air in this cyber world :)
LOVE THIS. Thank you.
yes! yes! yes! i wish more people would rant like this. seriously, we need to do some hard core rebellion against the media's power over what gets deemed "beautiful." i live in los angeles and i've met some of the people who create these images. trust me girls, you do NOT want to let these people control your opinions. also, even if you do get as skinny as they tell you to be, you won't be happy. happiness comes from an emotional change, not a physical one. thanks betsey for this post!
i agree w/u like my mom says "i prefer to b fat and happy than 2 b skinny and unhappy" we should love ourselves the wat we r and not the way the world wants us 2 b
I'm right with you.
I love this post. I'm not going to lie, I do wish I was skinnier, but to have that mindset to be happy with myself just the way I am is something that I need to hear more often.
That list and those plates are disgusting, and puts a weight down on a lot of woman's self-confidence.
Best post I've read in awhile. I really needed to read that. Thank you :)
I could not agree more. Thank you!
hey there :) your post really struck a chord in me as i read it today because I'm on the 2nd day of my diet. I weigh like, 55 kls, and I still would like to lose some weight because a lot of people have been telling me that my legs are too big, my butt is too big, my calves are too big, blah blah blah. I understand the pressure that some girls are going through right now. And your post just gives me hope.
oh my! I did not know they re-touched photos to that degree! Thank you for sharing this...
Wow... that's just... honestly discusting! That's horrible. And all of these girls (including myself) look at these people as the norm. When thats not even really what they look like! What on earth is the world coming to?
BTW... I love your blog. :)
xx,
Bleah
this is true. a healthy and happy person looks the best!
i LOVE YOUR BLOG! Can't believe there are actually plates like that out there.. there's a quote by Angelina Jolie (the most beautiful woman in the world) on my site: http://beleza.ca/?p=2422
It's so true. You don't have to be skinny to be happy!
betsey, i love your blog because it is so romantic and dreamy and surreal, but i applaud you for writing this post--it was so needed and i am behind you 100%. i always think of marilyn monroe when i get down about my body because looking sexy is now being fed to us through numbers as the perceptions in society change. i weigh a lot more than my friends, but you could never tell by looking at me. instead, my body shape speaks to my culture and i enjoy eating, i would never act like i don't. i would much rather be healthy, love myself for it, and consequently find a man that loves me for BOTH of those reasons.
God bless you.
great post!!!
and you´re right, the plates and the list are disgusting.. who makes something like this?!?!?! i hate it. :P
but thanks for sharing.
i hope you are well.
xoxo, pink lady <3
I am so glad you posted this! I can't believe they photo-shop people to look abnormally skinny, how absolutely disgusting. I stopped eating back in college, and though I was skinny, I was miserable and sick. As far from happy as any one person could be. Encouraging girls of a healthy weight to lose more weight is awful, people should be put into jail for that.
And you're right, since I recovered I noticed just how weight obsessed society is. It's crazy!
Thank you so much for this my dear. it's always such a stuggle for me to just be okay with my size and weight, and this certainally helped to remind me what is most important, and just how discusting this mentality is. plus it was amazing to see that most of our ideals are fake! i really needed to see this.
love, Clara
The power of photoshop! Ordinary people should not envy these celebrities for they have flaws and blemishes too. They are not as perfect as what they seem to appear.
Yet another tremendous reason I adore you. Thanks for putting this out there. Sick, obsessed world....time to GET REAL!!!!! Love ya lady.
I'm so glad you commented my blog or I'd have maybe never visited yours! I love these kinds of posts, and you can tell you've written it with such emotion. I think maybe that's why a lot of people online with 'lots' of followers/readers are 'victims' of online abuse. I'm not saying bloggers are celebrities but maybe we are the next step down seeing as we put ourselves out there for everyone too? You can't tell a celebrity if you think they are ugly or fat or stupid, but it's okay to tell someone online that.. even if it's just to feel better about yourself, bloggers aren't untouchable like the famous. Seem to have gone a bit off road there but it's still related! I just think all these magazines start a fire of negativity but then again a lot of people might not want to read such magazines anymore if the editing of pictures stopped. Who knows! x
Great post!! I think that we should show this photos in schools! I work in a secondary school and they think that this "beauty" is real.
Thanks for sharing!
And Madonna should accept that she is not a teenager any more, she has 50 years. What she is doing is unfair for all the "fivety" women that compare herself with her.
As I said, grat post! Have a nice weekend!
Good for you on speaking up about this! It's really awful that the influence of the media tries to turn us against ourselves by producing unrealistic images for us to "look up to". Understandably, it is never easy to avoid being pulled into that trap--I know I was in my teen years! Really, why should we feel the need to conform to ideals when we can stand apart and embrace our lovely selves for who we are?
Amazing post; I'm glad so many are affected by it, in the most positive sense of course!
wow, that little list at the end is jaw-dropping. "You won't flinch away when people touch your stomach" WTF!!
I actually just wrote a post about body image, it must be something in the air.
I think this is the most amazing blog post I've ever read.
You know i think there are two sides to this. I think its critical that unhealthy weight must be lost but only if it is a health threat or if you have type 2 diabetes ans stuff.
of course loving oneself unconditionally is the essence and starvation is not the answer. but attempts must be made to eat healthy. but this is not what is going on in the world, youre absolutely right. everyone's so weightobsessed and image conscious that there seems to be no end to it. It's really ridiculous. The plates are obscene. The maker should be hung.
Read this, love this and living with THIS.
Thank you for writing about this! I work at an eating disorder treatment center and we've recently shown our clients before and after images of edited models. They were all shocked; it really is disturbing. I so hope messages like yours hit home with all of us women. We all deserve better.
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