It’s that time of year again, one of the most anticipated events of the fashion world: The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. It’s a time where women around the world get together to watch some of the world’s most beautiful models strut down the runway in very little clothing and elaborate Angel wings. For as long as I can remember, women have made this event about themselves, saying things like “The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show makes me hate myself” or tweet things like “When Adriana Lima is a 34 year-old mother of two and looks better than me”, etc. I always used to jump on this bandwagon, until very recently. So I’m going to share with you a few reasons why the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show doesn’t make me hate myself.
It’s unrealistic for my body to look like that. But, that’s okay. I will never look like Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner, or Alessandra Ambrosio. Why?
- Because these women are genetically thin.
- Because they are super models who take amazing care of their body- for a living.
So why should I waste my time starving myself and being upset that “I can’t look like that no matter how hard I try”? It is okay that I don’t look like that. The most important thing is that I am taking care of my body to be healthy, to avoid being a junk-food addict and also to look the best I can- for myself.
I have talents that do not include being a fantastic model. We all do! For me, I know that I excel in singing. For you- you might excel in drawing or painting, and the next person might be an incredible athlete or exceptionally smart. Everyone has different talents and that’s what makes the world such an exciting place. If we were all good at the same things, nobody would have anything to learn or admire.
I feel empowered looking at the Victoria’s Secret Models. Seriously… they are radiant. Do you see the way they strut down the runway with killer confidence, in very little clothing, giant heels and elaborate wings or costume pieces that take all year to make? They make it look effortless and it is so empowering! I feel empowered to be a woman when I look at these women absolutely KILLING IT. They are beautiful and confident working so hard to be healthy and strong. We should be cheering them on, appreciating how beautiful and confident they are- not making their beauty about us.
We are all women, facing adversity in the patriarch society. So why are we competing with each other and tearing each other down? We should be building each other up! My best friend told me this the other day, “I feel great with makeup on, and I feel great with it off. I used to not feel that way, but even without makeup on… this is my face. And there’s no reason not to feel beautiful. This is me, this is what I look like naturally.” So the only thing I want to leave you with is this: love yourself, and stop comparing yourself to others and setting unrealistic expectations for yourself. In the end, you are only hurting yourself. Set realistic goals for yourself and never compare yourself to other women; it’s more important to be beautiful on the inside anyways.