Let’s be honest: Not every woman enjoys looking into a mirror for longer than a few seconds. A quick glimpse at our reflections could cause us to run for cover. “Ugh, that zit is huge,” and “I need to lose weight, fast” are no strange thoughts to the female brain. And with images of flawless-looking women virtually everywhere, who can blame us for feeling insecure? Celebrities flaunt their new and improved bodies on magazine covers, while promising to tell us their dieting secrets so we can look like them. Yet instead of trying to exercise or starve our way down to “improve” our bodies, we really should be working on loving the looks we already have. To help you do so, here is a list of ways to boost and maintain a healthy attitude towards your body.
#1: Stop comparing yourself to others: We all know someone who constantly looks like they’ve stepped straight out of a Cosmo photo shoot. It could be your best friend, your roommate, or even that same group of girls tanning by the pool every day. Either way, we’ve all fallen into the trap of wishing we looked like that girl. We want her hair, her sense of style, or even just that awesome pair of heels she has. Yet longing to have what she has doesn’t mean we’ll get it, just like staring at that pair of heels won’t automatically transfer them to our feet (which sounds tempting at first, but pairs of pointy heels flying across a lecture hall could be lethal). In other words, don’t waste time wishing for something you can’t have. Take a look at your positive attributes, and focus on those instead. And who knows—maybe that same person you’re comparing yourself to secretly wishes she had your smile or hair, too.
#2: Stop the group hate: Remember that scene in Mean Girls where the Plastics are standing in front of Regina’s mirror, stating what they hated about their appearances? This behavior can have a domino effect within groups of friends. One girl points out a flaw, and suddenly the whole group is feeling depressed. Yet even if you do have really bad breath in the morning (and let’s face it, who doesn’t?), that’s no reason to start getting down on yourself. Next time your group of friends starts to pull a Plastics move, speak up and stop it. Insist that they look fine the way they are, and change the subject to a more positive topic. Your girlfriends might not believe you at first, but working to stop the cycle is a lot better than letting it continue.
#3: Don’t allow negative comments to be said about your body: Just as you shouldn’t allow a friend to talk herself down, it’s equally important to not let anyone put you down. Even if the criticism is meant to be constructive, it could still come off harsh. There’s a difference between “that shirt doesn’t quite fit you right” and “that shirt makes you look like an elephant.” Next time someone makes a comment like the latter, speak up. The person might not have meant to sound so harsh, but even if they did, they should know that their comments aren’t necessary. If they continue to speak negatively, tune them out. That’s sometimes easier said than done, but the more negativity you absorb, the more negativity you’ll start to believe. It doesn’t matter what shape or size you come in—how you see yourself is more important than how others see you. It is your body, after all. As long as you’re comfortable with who you are, it doesn’t matter what your family, friends, or catty strangers think.
#4: Don’t take everything at face value: It’s almost impossible to go through a day without seeing a flawless-looking celebrity on a magazine cover or television commercial. After seeing their perfectly applied makeup and slim figures, us normal women can be quick to wish we constantly appeared to be fresh out of a photo shoot. What many of us don’t realize, however, is that those women hardly look the same way in real life. Their images, whether in picture or video format, are airbrushed and Photoshopped before being released to the public. With a few simple clicks of a button, the women’s body can be drastically altered to fit the editors’ vision. Often, these edited bodies are impossible to achieve biologically. In other words, you cannot diet, exercise, or even starve your way down to the bodies seen on magazines and TV. It would take serious and risky plastic surgery to even come close. So instead of ignoring that chocolate bar in your fridge and taking up a bread and water diet, flaunt your real and non-edited body with pride.
#5: Take back the power: The world would be so incredibly dull and boring if everyone fit the same cookie-cutter mold that’s considered beautiful. We’d all be a bunch of toothpicks wearing the same clothes and eating the same food. People come in so many shapes, sizes, and colors, and it’s a ridiculous idea to let anyone tell us whether or not we’re beautiful. So take back the power and start building a healthy body image. Appreciate who you are and what you have, and don’t let anyone try to cut you down to fit his or her narrow-minded views. Walk around with your head held high and your splendid hips swinging with pride as you go.