Dear Duckling.
Who determines what beauty is? In my
opinion no one is ugly, we are all swans. It's not about what you
look like it's about how you feel inside. Beauty comes from
within. When you feel good about yourself and accept yourself for
who you are your beauty will shine through on the outside no matter
how big your breasts are or what size jeans your wearing.
Unfortunately in today's society women but also men are constantly
bombarded with ‘Barbie and Ken like' doll images. The perfect
air brushed images of celebrities in magazines, on TV and plastered
all over billboards suggest s that this is what we are supposed to
look like if we want to be considered beautiful. More often than
not women are portrayed with big boobs, flat stomachs, rounded hips,
no wrinkles and absolutely no fat. By presenting an ideal that is
difficult to achieve and maintain, the cosmetic and diet product
industries are making a fortune out of our negative body images.
Being unhappy with your body can affect
how you think and feel about yourself as a person. A poor body image
can lead to emotional distress, low self esteem, dieting anxiety,
depression and eating disorders. Your negative body image could be
the result of something that has happened to you in the past or maybe
something that someone has said to you that upset you. You could try
talking to one of the counsellors at Health Counselling and
Wellbeing. Consultations are free and completely confidential. Or
try online counselling at www.aut.ac.nz.
‘Fixing' your body will not solve
all your problems. You will still be the same person underneath with
the same anxieties and insecurities as before. You need to work on
restoring your self esteem and confidence so that you can celebrate
being the person you are both physically and emotionally.
A few tips from Agony Aunt for all
women feeling the pressure to be physically ‘perfect'.
Celebrate you body and embrace its
uniqueness.
Kill your inner supermodel. Get rid
of the perfect image as it's not achievable. Perfect bodies do not
exist.
Take some pressure off yourself and
give up the media for a week. Don't read magazines or watch TV for
a while (especially anything to do with fashion).
Talk to your friends and reject the
imposed ideals that women should look and behave in a certain way.
If you would like to talk to someone
you can call Health Counselling and Wellbeing on 9219992 (city campus
or 9219998 (North Shore campus).
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