A positive spin on body image

When do you feel beautiful?

Many of us have difficulty answering this question. It can be uncomfortable and scary. You might find yourself comparing yourself to the images on the cover of People magazine or models in a Victoria’s Secret or Calvin Klein commercial.

But those images are not real. They are photoshopped and edited many times over.

That “beauty” does not exist, not like the beauty of the Grand Canyon, the beauty of a baby’s laughter or the beauty of the smile of a bride on her wedding day.

Unrealistic images in the media have been linked to mental health problems, such as depression, poor self-esteem, and eating disorders, especially among girls.

The negative impact is beginning to affect girls at a younger age.

Forty-two percent of girls in grades one through three desire to be thinner.

Seventy-eight percent of 17-year old girls are unhappy with their bodies.

By the time these children enter high school, it has a profound impact on their health.

Thirty percent of high-school girls and 17 percent of high-school boys suffer from disordered eating. Unknown to many, eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.

This generation and the next need us to treat this issue as a matter of life and death. It’s time to change.

This change starts with you.

In honor of National Eating Disorders Awareness week, February 22-28, I would like you to redefine beauty.

Recognize you are not your body parts.

Appreciate all your body can do.

Focus on your unique qualities, what truly gives your life meaning, and what you see as beautiful in those you love.

As Salma Hayek said, “People often say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder; and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing you are the beholder.”

Remember to BeYOUtiful!