Do You Beat Up On Your Beauty?

My friends and I had a really interesting experience in our loft the other night. Six young and gorgeous women joined us for a party. Each of them could have been on the cover of a magazine. They all had great haircuts, cute figures, and beautiful skin. We were excited because it was like dressing human Barbie dolls. Guess what happened next.

Donna and I were waiting for one of the girls to need our help, and they started tearing themselves apart. One girl said she wanted to wait until she lost weight to try anything on. She had to have been about a size 6 or 8. Another girl tried on a dress and said she didn’t want to show her lumps and bumps. No matter what Donna and I said, they just wouldn’t stop putting themselves down. It was a real eye-opener.

We mostly work with women in their 30’s and 40’s. We always tell these women they’re gorgeous and point out their beautiful features. I have yet to see a woman lacking in the attractive attributes department. We usually succeed in showing women who shop with us that they are beautiful and helping them realize they are the only ones who notice their so-called flaws. Unfortunately, we didn’t influence these particular girls at all.

It started to make me think. Has the younger generation grown up with so many airbrushed images that promote the unrealistic idea of perfection that they can no longer recognize true beauty? Have they lived such a short time that they can’t remember an imperfect media image? Are we responsible for making these young women feel like they’ll never be beautiful enough? What can we do to change the way these girls feel about themselves? I hope they will learn that they are all stunning.

We can stop this trend now. We have the opportunity to help the next generation of young women love themselves.

I have a girlfriend who has two little girls. Even she is not immune to putting herself down. Listening to her call herself fat broke my heart. Not just for her, but for the pressure she is placing on her beautiful little girls. She usually wear a small or medium, has beautiful dark hair, great eyes, and a killer smile. She is also funny, interesting, and smart. She is teaching her girls that these qualities aren’t enough. Every time she calls herself fat, she defines what “fat” looks like to her girls. This mindset has to stop now!

We are an amazing gender. We care for our families. We are creative. We are smart. We love our friends and we care for those around us. When did that become insufficient? I challenge you, especially you mothers, to stop putting yourselves down. Figure out what it is that you like about yourself and focus on that quality. Tell your children that you love the way they look. Tell your children that you love the way you look. Let them grow up to believe that they are beautiful!
“Children seldom misquote you. In fact, they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn’t have said.” – Anonymous

Written by Gini Linnabery Swancy, CEO of AnatomyofStyle.com

www.anatomyofstyle.com