The news media is constantly telling us girls that we have negative body issues because the magazines we read and the movies we watch are filled with images of super-thin models and sexy movie stars. They think that because we see these images all the time we must feel bad about ourselves because we don’t look like those girls. I will admit that as a female, it is impossible to escape seeing these images of what society considers beautiful without making some type of comparison. But despite the constant feed of these images, girls are actually happier with their own bodies than the news media leads us to believe.
According surveys, the majority of girls are pleased with their bodies and would prefer their own bodies to the bodies of super skinny models. One survey found that most girls would rather look like themselves than supermodel Kate Moss! It turns out that our girlfriends and others around us have more influence than the fashion industry on how we perceive our own beauty and bodies.
This is great news because really, most of the time fashion models and movie stars go to unhealthy extremes to look the way that they do. Being unhealthy is not hot, plus it makes you age faster. Being beautiful means embracing what you have and rocking your awkward features. Own the stubby arms, the stomach pooch, or the weird nose because those are the features that make you stand out and distinguish you from everyone else. Having physical features unlike what everyone else has, like frizzy hair or wide hips, is like wearing a cool of piece jewelry or a bright colored jacket. They are things that let you stand apart from everyone else and give others something to remember you by.