In today's world there is automatically an intense focus on body image and what seems to be the "right" look. All you have to do is flip open any magazine, turn on the TV, or even just walk down the street to see the 21st century idea of "beauty." Now, do not get me wrong, these women are beautiful, but it is important to remember there is more than one type of beautiful. One in every 200 American women suffers from diagnosed anorexia. While two to three in every 100 American women are considered bulimic. These numbers are striking and it is time for things to change.
Each person is built differently. If you line ten women up there are a multitude of visible differences among them all. From hair color to shoe size, these differences are what make each of us unique from the rest, but why does it seem that the only difference people have begun to focus on is each individual's physical build? Women everywhere immediately turn to health crazes and popular diets to achieve what they believe will make them "beautiful."
It is time for everyone to finally understand what "beautiful" and "healthy" really mean.
Beauty
It comes in a million shapes and sizes and is not skin deep. No amount of makeup or physical tweaking will allow for a person to be truly beautiful. Each person must learn to accept the way they were made and remember that being a size 0 is not all that matters in life. Beauty is seen through the way someone treats those around them and themselves. All sizes and shapes should be seen as beautiful, starting with the person themselves seeing themselves this way. Once a person learns to love his or herself they are also able to be loved fully by all those around them.
Health
This idea is (in my opinion) one of the most misunderstood words in the English dictionary. Yes, health includes the substances you are putting in your body and what you do with your body throughout a day, but there is also so much too more than just that. Physical, mental, and emotional health are equally important in the overall health of a person. In order for a person to be truly considered healthy, they must buy into the developing the whole person rather than just the physical.
Now these two ideas are much easier said than done. Anyone can say they are healthy and see themselves as beautiful, but they must truly buy into this idea. People of all ages need to change the tide and stop the disheartening view they have on their image and the images of those around them.
"What you do, the way you think, [that is what] makes you beautiful" - Scott Westerfeld
