Amen, Sister-Friend!

Check out this amazing article written by Beth Berry on her blog "Revolution from Home." 

here is the link to her blog: http://revolutionfromhome.com/2014/01/dear-beauty-industry-im-not-buying-it/ 

29, 2014

Dear “Beauty” Industry, I’m Not Buying It

Categories: Culture, Family, Self

Dear “Beauty” Industry,

I write you today, both in awe of your influence and well aware of the degree of deception with which you have obtained it. To be clear, this is not hate mail. I don’t write hate mail, because I am not a hater.

I am a lover.

The things I love most are those I see as beautiful, which might seem a bit ironic considering that beauty is what you claim to know all about, but herein lies the reason for my letter:

The “beauty” you’re selling is bullshit.

Which means you are making a mockery of true beauty; of the things I love the most.

I write in defense of this beauty.

There’s no denying that you’ve been a part of my sphere of influence since I was a little girl, just as you mold and shape every small child. Fortunately, though, I had other, more powerful influences that helped me see through your smokescreen from an early age.

Influences like:

• Frequent exposure to nature.
• A mother with self respect who took care of and never insulted her body.
• A father who empowered his daughters to be anything we wanted.
• Parents who told me I was valuable and showed me with plenty of love and attention.
• A strong community of diverse and caring people whom I always knew I could trust.
• Patient teachers who validated my ideas and encouraged my uniqueness.

These gifts birthed in me a strong sense that beauty is not something to be bought, but something we first tune into and then cultivate based on the stirrings within our souls.

Which is the reason I know your “beauty” to be a scam.

You have mastered your art. There’s no denying that you’re good at what you do. It’s just that what you do isn’t good:

You lie to little girls.
You confuse young boys.
You perpetuate self-loathing in adolescents.
You manipulate images of already-beautiful bodies into unachievable, inhuman shapes in order to present “beauty” as just beyond our reach.

It’s genius, really. Deceive us when we’re little, make empty promises while we’re desperately seeking to define ourselves, then contort our perceptions of what’s possible and just like that…you’ve got customers for life.

But not me. Because I’m not buying it.

The photo at the top of the page? I felt beautiful at the time it was taken.

Because I use all your latest and greatest anti-aging serums?

Because I’ve finally achieved your promises of perfection?

Because I was sporting my spanx and boosting my bust, having recently shaven myself smooth?

Not even close.

I felt beautiful when that photo was taken because I was standing against a dilapidated seaside fishing shack, windblown from dancing wildly, right smack dab in the middle of manifesting my dreams.

I felt beautiful when that photo was taken because I’d been painted by sunshine, not some “prettifying” product.

I felt beautiful when that photo was taken because the man behind the camera not only loves me completely, but finds me beautiful and sexy and mysteriousbecause of all the “imperfections” you would have me alter, lift, tuck or smooth away.

I felt beautiful when that photo was taken because I was outside — in the womb of true beauty — claiming the oneness with creation offered us all.

But perhaps more than any of that, I felt beautiful when that photo was takenbecause I am aging, which means I am increasingly sure of and happy with who I am apart from your influence.

I don’t need you to define beauty for me. I got this.

Thing is, not every little girl grows up believing she is beautiful.

Maybe no one told her they liked her ideas.

Maybe the images on tv were more beautiful than the fighting in the next room, so she chose the better of the two.

And not every little boy feels safe enough to explore the beauty all around him.

Maybe he’s never been told or shown he was capable. 

Maybe no one’s ever taken him on a boat or around a mountain pass at sunrise.

These kids trust the “experts” to show them what’s beautiful, and your lies become their foundation.

As an industry, you should know that I and many others are working against you. Not with millions in the bank or through manipulative marketing, but by using our unique strengths and voices, born of the very beauty we seek to protect:

We’re empowering our daughters to love themselves and know bullshit when they see it.
We’re teaching our sons how to spot something truly stunning, whether she’s wearing heels or its branches make good shade.
We’re healing our cultural wounds, rewriting has-been stories and claiming the right to define beauty for ourselves.
You are more powerful now than you were when I was young, which means your influence in my daughters’ lives will be even harder for them to resist and overcome.

But I’m not worried about my daughters. You know why?

Because we dance wildly in fishing shacks, painted by sunshine.

Because they’ve seen ocean tides and mountainsides and sunsets for comparison.

Because we surround them with confident and caring people who love life and live it well.

And mostly, because they’ve been taught what real beauty feels like.

Grateful for your contribution to my understanding,
Beth Berry

Bonnie on Body Image

Our bodies are pretty miraculous. Think about it: each part of the human body has a particular role and function to perform and they occur simultaneously. Our bodies are constantly working, always in motion, never truly at rest. Consider all the things that your body can do. Do it, I dare you, make a list!!

Here's mine:

I can stand on my head.

I can whistle.

I can roll my tongue.

I can pogo-stick without hands.

I can dance.

I can touch my toes.

I can sing with my mouth closed.

I can make cookies.

I can deliver cookies to friends.

I can laugh hard.

I can make others laugh.

I can smile with my eyes.

I can start a one-match fire.

I can dream while asleep...and while awake.

I can read a novel from start-to-finish.

I can tell you who the mother of modern dance is...(it's Martha Graham btw)

I could walk a marathon...(one day I'll run one)

I can quote the balcony seen from Romeo & Juliet after memorizing it 7 years ago.

I can love another person.

I can empathize with someone whose gone through difficult trials.

This is just a short list of the things my body is able to accomplish. Really, the list is never-ending. My body is amazing! What's sad is that media would like to tell us otherwise. The media tells us that we are never good enough, looks are the biggest indicator of our success, and that we must look an exact way to be considered beautiful. The media is wrong. I am beautiful! I may not have a perfect gap between my thighs, perfectly arched eyebrows, flawless skin or be well-endowed in the chest area, but I am beautiful. It's not my looks that make me beautiful, although I would say that I am quite fond of the features I do have, it's what I do with my body that makes me beautiful. What good is a beautiful smile if it doesn't create another smile on another face? What good are pretty hands if they never reach out to a friend? The media will tell you that the way your body looks is everything. I'm telling you that what you choose to do with your body is everything.

I have bought-into the media's lies. They are pretty convincing salespeople. It's hard to not believe their sales pitches when they are coming at you from all angles. And just because I've been able to see past one lie, doesn't mean I haven't believed another. So much of what is presented in the media is false. I would like to see the media portraying truth: women and men from all shapes, sizes, ages, and races that are beautiful because of the good that they do. This blog has been created to remind us and all who come across it that so much of what is presented in the media is inaccurate. Our other goal in creating this blog is to  become a media source that promotes a healthy, positive, and realistic idea of beauty. 

No Makeup Monday

In February of this year, Today Show anchors discussed the topic of Body Image. As part of their "Love your Selfie" campaign, they filmed a makeup-free Monday. Check out this clip where they discuss their thoughts on body image and post images of themselves without makeup.

We decided to join their "No Makeup Monday" by posting images of us with and without makeup. It's fun to see our images side-by-side and realize that with or without makeup we are still beautiful. In posting these photos we are by no means encouraging individuals to never wear makeup. I for one, sometimes enjoy the process of applying makeup. Other people even see it as an art form. What has become bothersome to me, is when I hear young teenage girls talking negatively about themselves without makeup and embarrassed to be seen without it. Girls are beginning to wear makeup at younger ages and our society has created the idea that there is no such thing as natural beauty. Makeup doesn't equal beauty!

Join the challenge by posting makeup-less photos of yourself on your own Instagrams and Facebook pages or you can even send them to the Today Show to be posted on their website.


                     

It's important for us to support healthy body image for each gender!

Join Us For No Make Up Monday:

True beauty doesn't come from bottles of makeup, it cannot be surgically added either. No, true beauty, it radiates from the heart.

Media's Influence On My Body Image

Growing up I always looked toward the media to know what was considered beautiful. The media told me in order for me to be beautiful I had to wear makeup, wear name brand clothing, keep and maintain latest fashion trends. In order to be considered beautiful I needed to be tall, thin and large breasted. I never knew how much of an impact media had on my behavior until I got older. The media had influenced several of the decisions I had made in my youth. Because of these guidelines of what was considered beautiful I never felt good enough. Even though I tried my best to follow the guidelines I always seemed to fall short of what society considered beautiful. I now realize that media's definition of beauty is very limited and not necessarily realistic or necessary. After all real beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

To me real beauty is being comfortable in your own body and accepting yourself regardless of what "imperfections" society thinks you have. Real beauty is loving yourself as a person and not caring about what other people think. Real beauty is being happy and having positive energy about yourself. Real beauty is selfless...

Share what real beauty means to you:

http://www.dove.us/our-mission/real-beauty/default.aspx

Blame Spongebob

Male Body Image

Don't worry boys we haven't forgotten about you!! The media effects men just as much as it effects as women. Here is a clip to show the different male body types through out  history starting in the 60's , So enjoy the clip and rocking out to Macho Man!

That's What She Said | Beauty And Body Image

This is amazing to hear how these women feel about how the media and people have effected the way they look at them selves. We all compare ourselves but "comparison is the thief of joy".  Hopefully we can all look at our selves in the mirror and learn to love our selves!

Dove Evolution

We Need More Media Messages Like This

You've got to love Kid President! How could you not when he is telling you that YOU, yes YOU, are WONDERFUL? Can you imagine how different our society would be if we spent more time building each other up instead of taring each other down? I vote for more media like this!

I'm a big supporter of the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty. Here is another one of their awesome videos warning against the beauty industry's lies.

Dove Real Beauty Sketches

We're All Pretty Sweet!

Okay, I have to admit that this picture made me laugh a little harder that it should have, but it is true. All these fruits are so different but they all serve a purpose just like each one of us. So I believe we all need to stop wanting to be an orange or a strawberry when we need to be happy with our own SWEET self's. I have decided though that if I am going to put my self in the fruit category I'm going to be the kiwi or maybe the banana category.

Body Image Statistics

The Only Body We Have

Who Am I?

Who Am I?




Here is a cool Radio Lab Clip that talks about how we see our self's and how others have come to find out who they are. Its a little on the nerdy side but its an audio recording so you can get your nerd on and still be on Pinterest at the same time!

Looks aren't everything. Believe me I'm a model.

Cameron Russel a model talks about how looks aren't everything. She talks about the modeling industry and how  no one should strive to be a model, but rather pick a career where you have some say in what you do.