Hello, Out there!

Do you love yourself?

Do you love your body?

Have you ever just taken a good long stare in the mirror with the only thought coming to mind being… EW!?

 Well, on behalf of girls everywhere, I will admit to times—mere moments—that I shudder at the sight as my reflection stares me down. Sure, you can remember those little fashion triumphs and personal victories—like fitting into those skinny jeans or being able to retire “the fat pants”—moments where you feel like you have become BFF 4 LIFE with your body. But, more often than not, there is just no love there, and that is exactly the case for someone with negative body image.

Before we ignite this magnificent flame of friendship, let me just clarify: it’s not that I don’t love myself. On the contrary, I love myself a little too much sometimes—thank you very much! The issue is, in this day and age, how is it possible for me to not feel the need to compare my body to others? (Tell me you don't get a little self conscious when you are getting your sweat on at the gym. That's what I thought.) Better yet, how can we not have a distorted perception of “desirable shape and size,” when every female celebrity role model is about as fat as my pinky finger?  Way skinny, right?

According to The National Women’s Heath Information Center, a majority of women feel a compulsive need to meet a particular social and cultural ideal of beauty, the so-called “Barbie-doll like image.” From these past three years living in Los Angeles and going to the “University of Sexy Children” (or University of Southern California) ranked 2^nd hottest student body by popcrunch.com, it feels at times that what you look like is just as important as your IQ. Also, being a sorority girl, I know from first-hand experience that being content with your body is no easy chore—even more so when you constantly feel as if you are being drowned by the sea of other gorgeous, slim girls. Even at football games… Man, I just can’t catch a break! Watching the USC Song Girls, Playboy’s ranked hottest cheerleaders, prance around on the jumbotron makes me just stop and ask, “Hello God, are you there? Can that be me for once?” It is no wonder why so many young women—myself included—have been brainwashed into believing such things as “Size 0 is the new 2, 2 is the new 4 and 6 is the new 14”—a popular quote from the movie The Devil Wears Prada. It has reached the point where eating in a “hearty meal” at the sorority house consists of a 200 calorie Lean Cuisine or a “half salad” with low calorie dressing on the side. This is way alarming because the eating habits of one girl influences another—especially in a sorority environment—and results in a skewed perspective of “good eating habbits.”

Thus, I have made it my duty over the next fifteen weeks to prod, dissect, and scrutinize any and all things body image. I hope to highlight the sources of these societal pressures. My blog will attempt to break down body beauty into three categories: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly. “The Good” posts will stress the significance of a healthy lifestyle with appropriate diet and exercise. I will rely on what I have learned in my kinesiology and psychology classes to give the most accurate definition and description of “healthy”. “The Bad” posts will be the ones that expose the sources of distorted body image for what they are with hopes of preventing girls from being brainwashed into believing they’re just not skinny enough. It is one thing to fight obesity, but telling a healthy size 2-10 girl that she is not slim enough is just plain dangerous. This is why I hope to shed some light on eating disorders with “The Ugly” posts. Clarification: I am not labeling eating disorders as “ugly.” What is ugly, though, is the nonchalant jokes about eating disorders thrown around by people who have no inkling of the pain and suffering associated with these illnesses. Let’s be real, people…There is simply nothing funny about eating disorders. So, all in all, I hope to utilize the web, my personal knowledge of body and mind, and this handy-dandy blog of mine to convince you, my dear friends, that true beauty cannot be determined by pant size.

I know we just met, and I do realize that I have already blown your mind by dropping some pretty overwhelming truth bombs and by bombarding you with questions, but the point is to get personal and keep you thinking, right?  Right! Just remember, it’s your body.

So, friend… I ask you once again (and answer honestly): Do you love your body?

Fact of the day: friendships are an essential ingredient for positive self-esteem.