With London Fashion Week all over the media, we’re constantly surrounded by glamorous, stick thin models. The runway shows display the latest collections in high fashion and trends. It shows us what’s “in” and “out” of season. In a nutshell, how we should dress in the upcoming Spring and Summer. However, the women wearing the clothes demonstrate a skewed image of a real woman. So, it is only normal that we’re feeling a little self-conscious, right? Wrong. As a result of unrealistic women depicted in the media, there are women and girls who on a daily basis tell themselves they look ‘Fat. Ugly. Bloated.’ Their mood may be determined based upon the number on a set of scales or whether they woke up in the morning feeling skinny or not. Research in psychology journals suggests that our body dissatisfaction is influenced by our socio-cultural environment and is linked to eating disorders and low self-esteem. With currently 1 in 20 women in the UK demonstrating symptoms of an eating disorder, it’s about time we looked elsewhere than media and magazines for inspiration!
I find it important to point out that popular magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Glamour produce articles on how to be attractive to others; does this not teach us that a person’s focus should be on how others perceive them, rather than establishing confidence with oneself inside and out? They restrict beauty solely to the physical side of a person and neglect to mention the development of other aspects of oneself such as experience, intelligence, humour and kindness. The airbrushed pictures we see on the cover of Vogue are unrealistic and set high standards – standards that are unrealistic!
There are women in the media, women that we should turn to for inspiration. Women such as Jennifer Lawrence (Hunger Games, The Silver Linings Playbook) and Adele (Singer/Artist) have been classified as role models in the Hollywood industry. Both have spoken out about being proud and accepting their bodies, despite the Hollywood criticism they receive. These women put there energy towards the things in life they find time worth investing in, instead of wasting a second of it on their insecurities and criticism. Jennifer Lawrence has spoken out against the constructed image “norms” in the Hollywood industry. She refuses to lose weight for roles because of the message it may send to female viewers. The actress told Elle magazine that for the part of Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games she was trying to “get fit and strong- not thin and underfed.” Her aim was for young girls who aspired to be Katniss Everdeen to view her as strong, not fragile. Adele told Vogue magazine “I’ve seen [body image] rule their lives, women who want to be thinner or have bigger boobs, and how it wears them down. And I just don’t want that in my life.” Adele, herself refuses to give in to the pressure inflicted on her by the media, she is talented, beautiful and proud of who she is and her curves and she has every right to be. She claims she won’t hang out with anyone who points out her insecurities!
We could learn a thing or two about self-confidence from these incredible women! Don’t give lame insults a second thought and embrace who you are and your figure. Appreciate your body for what it does and how it allows you to experience yourself as a whole person with creativity, intelligence and compassion. Get to grips with the latest trends but don’t let a dress size define you. Focus on how amazing the dress looks on you! Surround yourself with people who will support you when you’re feeling low and won’t bring you down with criticism or judgment. Lastly, remember that many pictures in the media take a lot of dieting, money, work and airbrushing to accomplish! A beautiful body is a healthy one: on the surface and inside.
Photo Credits: www.pinterest.com