I love movies. Really, I watch way too many for way too long and then cry about them for far too long. Hollywood is a billion dollar industry that is constantly pumping out new films about old topics. From super hero movies to the ever so beloved romantic comedies, movies paint a very distinct light on what life is supposed to look on the big screen. As great and entertaining as these images are, they aren't always realistic or healthy.
Jennifer Lawrence has been dubbed one of the most "real" actresses in Hollywood. Her semi-awkward sense of humor and open appetite has lead to most of America falling in love with the bombshell actress. Even more to her credit, she has been a ferocious defender of positive self-esteem and body image. What a woman. The issue that deeply disturbs me, however, is that I will never look like Jennifer Lawrence.
Although JLaw is by no means doing anything wrong, I was recently struck with the idea that the woman pioneering so much of Hollywood's progressive body thinking, could very well be a Victoria Secret model. I love the message...I just hate that that there is a severely unequal representation of diverse faces and bodies present within main stream media. So, let me give a friendly reminder that life isn't always like the movies.
Often times, the guy doesn't always get the girl. Often times, relationships really end because the relationship was riddled with infidelity. Often times, the sun doesn't set as I ride off into the distant with my Prince Charming. Life doesn't work like this. Surprisingly enough, I'm OK with that; because life is far more beautiful when it's broken.
The ways I learned to love myself weren't through watching beautiful actresses kiss in the rain, it was through blood, sweat, and tears. It was getting made fun of and, instead, finding confidence within myself. I learned to fall in love with who I was before I could fall in love with another person. Life is made of the fragments of errors and mistakes; putting this together just makes a more beautiful picture. My body will never look like anyone else's but my own. My life will never be perfectly neat and orderly. I, however, am learning to enjoy the ups, downs, and in-betweens.
While Hollywood isn't all bad, it preaches that life is supposed to fit into a perfect bubble. Not only this, but it shoves an unrealistic view of how women are to dress and act. Although there are people working hard to reverse this stigma, there needs to be an awareness spread that if your life isn't like the movies...that's ok. No one's is.
