Nobody is perfect, so stop expecting yourself to be. Everyone knows that the images you see on magazine covers are an illusion, anyway, so why put so much pressure on yourself to look like the models who are paid a fortune for posing for photographs? Clearly, these models have had a lot of help to look as good as they do – they have make-up artists, stylists and professional photographers all working on making them appear flawless. If that's not enough, these images can always be manipulated afterwards so that any imperfections and flaws are airbrushed away.
Thus, if you want to increase your body confidence, you first need to appreciate that the high-profile individuals involved in selling stuff – whether it be perfume, make-up, films or music – have a lot of help to look a certain way. They get out of bed and look just as much of a mess as ordinary human beings do! These individuals are generally expected to keep themselves looking trim and to make sure they step out of the house looking stylish and with immaculate hair and make-up. In the real world, this just isn't practical, because you usually have more important things to worry about.
The trouble is there is such a lack of diversity in the celebrity world that is reported on by the media, that you can find yourself convinced that you have to be stick-thin with an ample bosom, perfect teeth and features to be considered attractive. This obviously isn't the case, but, clearly, the whole beauty industry is designed to make women find fault with their appearance. If you continually obsess about all your flaws, of course you're going to be more willing to spend your money on the latest anti-ageing creams and cosmetics.
It is exactly the same as far as the weight-loss industry is concerned. If women are unhappy with their weight, they're going to spend money on trying to be thin. Thus, there is never a desire to push the idea that you can be happy with your body whatever your size and shape or however many wrinkles you've got. It's all about having to change yourself when, perhaps, you'd be better off changing your attitude. You therefore need to accept that people come in all different shapes and sizes and have different looks. There is nothing wrong with being unique!
Body confidence can be hard to find when you're convinced you'd be happier if you were slimmer and had smaller breasts, for instance, but you shouldn't become so preoccupied with your size and shape that the rest of your life starts to suffer. You should focus on the bits you like about your body and make an effort to accentuate the positives. If you like your legs, why not show them off, especially if you receive some positive attention? Whenever you receive a compliment, don't just shrug it off; instead, you should accept that someone else finds you attractive.
At the end of the day, though, you can't rely on anyone else's opinions to make you feel better about yourself. Of course, it is always nice to receive a compliment on your appearance, but at the same time it shouldn't really matter what other people think. Who cares if someone is judging you for putting on a few pounds? It is your life not theirs, and it is obviously their problem not yours. If you want to become more body confident, it is worth accepting that there is more to life than looks, so that you can get on with enjoying your life!
Showing posts with label body confidence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label body confidence. Show all posts
Tuesday, 3 December 2013
What is Body Confidence?
Body confidence is something that many people lack, especially teenage girls and women, because they're highly influenced by the images they see and spend far too much time comparing themselves to seemingly flawless, beautiful celebrities. Consequently, most women will put themselves on a diet, at one time or another, in a desperate attempt to lose weight so they can obtain the perfect body shape. Instead of concentrating on the beauty they already possess, they seek out imperfections and are highly self-critical when it comes to their looks. Men are not immune to the pressure to conform to a certain body shape and size, but it definitely seems to affect women more.
There are so few women who are supremely confident with the way they look. It almost sounds as though women are highly superficial, but, then, this is a superficial world where what you look like can affect your life chances. If you're overweight you're less likely to be hired over someone who is slim and you may find it harder to get a promotion. This may not be fair, but it goes some way to explaining why body confidence is so lacking. Not only are you surrounded by images of perfect men and women in the media; you actually run the risk of being discriminated against if you don't conform to a certain body type.
The chances are you're neither massively overweight nor the perfect, skinny ideal, but rather somewhere in between. However, when you're led to believe that skinniness equates to attractiveness and that attractiveness leads to improved chances in your career and your love life, it is easy to convince yourself to lose a few pounds, since this will help you get ahead. Losing weight isn't always the answer, though, because there comes a point where you can't lose any more weight without jeopardising your health. Even at your slimmest, you will no doubt find fault with your appearance, and so you may be better off putting your efforts into learning to love yourself a bit more.
Of course, sometimes losing weight does give you a boost, especially if you're overweight, because you have actually managed to accomplish something which is quite tough. You could be setting yourself up for a fall, though, if you convince yourself that being slim is the route to ultimate happiness. The trouble is that there will probably be occasions when your weight creeps up, such as if you decide to have a baby, and then you're left feeling miserable just because you're heavier than you'd like to be. There surely has to be more to life than conforming to a certain mould when it comes to your appearance.
It's not only being overweight that can affect your body confidence – being underweight can be an issue for women and men, too. Plus, there is body shape and saggy skin; stretch marks and blemishes; having a flat chest or being large chested. It is very rare for someone to embrace themselves just the way they are and to be confident in their own skin, although usually as you get older you can better appreciate that there is more to life than the way you look. Even then, though, there are those individuals who cannot bear to get older and end up spending a fortune on cosmetic surgery. If you lack body confidence you really have to ask yourself what is the point of being so self-critical all the time when this just makes you miserable?
There are so few women who are supremely confident with the way they look. It almost sounds as though women are highly superficial, but, then, this is a superficial world where what you look like can affect your life chances. If you're overweight you're less likely to be hired over someone who is slim and you may find it harder to get a promotion. This may not be fair, but it goes some way to explaining why body confidence is so lacking. Not only are you surrounded by images of perfect men and women in the media; you actually run the risk of being discriminated against if you don't conform to a certain body type.
The chances are you're neither massively overweight nor the perfect, skinny ideal, but rather somewhere in between. However, when you're led to believe that skinniness equates to attractiveness and that attractiveness leads to improved chances in your career and your love life, it is easy to convince yourself to lose a few pounds, since this will help you get ahead. Losing weight isn't always the answer, though, because there comes a point where you can't lose any more weight without jeopardising your health. Even at your slimmest, you will no doubt find fault with your appearance, and so you may be better off putting your efforts into learning to love yourself a bit more.
Of course, sometimes losing weight does give you a boost, especially if you're overweight, because you have actually managed to accomplish something which is quite tough. You could be setting yourself up for a fall, though, if you convince yourself that being slim is the route to ultimate happiness. The trouble is that there will probably be occasions when your weight creeps up, such as if you decide to have a baby, and then you're left feeling miserable just because you're heavier than you'd like to be. There surely has to be more to life than conforming to a certain mould when it comes to your appearance.
It's not only being overweight that can affect your body confidence – being underweight can be an issue for women and men, too. Plus, there is body shape and saggy skin; stretch marks and blemishes; having a flat chest or being large chested. It is very rare for someone to embrace themselves just the way they are and to be confident in their own skin, although usually as you get older you can better appreciate that there is more to life than the way you look. Even then, though, there are those individuals who cannot bear to get older and end up spending a fortune on cosmetic surgery. If you lack body confidence you really have to ask yourself what is the point of being so self-critical all the time when this just makes you miserable?
Monday, 2 December 2013
The Beauty of Body Confidence
Body confidence is a rather rare thing, especially amongst women. However, if women spent less time worrying about their looks and their supposed flaws, they would probably enjoy life a bit more. As it is, there are women who are permanently on a diet; there are women who are on a mission to roll back the years using cosmetic surgery; and there are women who continually moan and groan about the physical attributes they loathe. It is all a waste of time, really, when the focus should be on what you can do with your body, rather than what you look like!
Virtually everyone has certain physical attributes which they're not too keen on, but having confidence in your body is so much more appealing than if you continually grab at non-existent flab or whine about how you dislike your legs. There are so few women who embrace their curves and who give the impression that they don't care what anyone thinks about the way they look, that it is a breath of fresh air when you encounter such a woman. This kind of woman isn't interested in conforming to what the media portrays as beautiful, and this automatically makes her more attractive.
After all, it takes quite a bit of courage to stand up and say that you don't care what other people think about your size or the fact that you dress differently or have something about your appearance that makes you stand out. When you have confidence in your body, people are drawn to you because they actually feel less self-conscious about their own appearance. They know that instead of being judged for looking a certain way, they will be appreciated for their personality and for the way they carry themselves, which means they can relax about not conforming to a prescribed ideal.
Unfortunately, it is much easier to talk about the idea of body confidence than it is to actually possess it. In a world where you're surrounded by images of perfection it can be hard to be content with the way you look, especially if you have had your flaws pointed out to you in the past. Even when you try to have body confidence, there will always be someone there to point out that you're fat and could do with losing weight or that you're too skinny and look as though you could do with a few good meals inside you.
If you're not able to shake off negative comments about your appearance, you may well internalise them and become evermore conscious of the aspects of your body you dislike. However, it is worth remembering that individuals tend to be much more attractive when they have confidence in themselves. There is more to you than just the way you look, so you shouldn't allow your confidence to be dragged down by some insensitive comments and a very specific ideal of what constitutes a beautiful body, when everyone is beautiful in their own way.
Virtually everyone has certain physical attributes which they're not too keen on, but having confidence in your body is so much more appealing than if you continually grab at non-existent flab or whine about how you dislike your legs. There are so few women who embrace their curves and who give the impression that they don't care what anyone thinks about the way they look, that it is a breath of fresh air when you encounter such a woman. This kind of woman isn't interested in conforming to what the media portrays as beautiful, and this automatically makes her more attractive.
After all, it takes quite a bit of courage to stand up and say that you don't care what other people think about your size or the fact that you dress differently or have something about your appearance that makes you stand out. When you have confidence in your body, people are drawn to you because they actually feel less self-conscious about their own appearance. They know that instead of being judged for looking a certain way, they will be appreciated for their personality and for the way they carry themselves, which means they can relax about not conforming to a prescribed ideal.
Unfortunately, it is much easier to talk about the idea of body confidence than it is to actually possess it. In a world where you're surrounded by images of perfection it can be hard to be content with the way you look, especially if you have had your flaws pointed out to you in the past. Even when you try to have body confidence, there will always be someone there to point out that you're fat and could do with losing weight or that you're too skinny and look as though you could do with a few good meals inside you.
If you're not able to shake off negative comments about your appearance, you may well internalise them and become evermore conscious of the aspects of your body you dislike. However, it is worth remembering that individuals tend to be much more attractive when they have confidence in themselves. There is more to you than just the way you look, so you shouldn't allow your confidence to be dragged down by some insensitive comments and a very specific ideal of what constitutes a beautiful body, when everyone is beautiful in their own way.
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