Today while I was waiting for my yearly physical I had some time to thumb through a magazine. At first I was excited that I had some time of leisure and could relax looking at articles and pictures, but soon I was engulfed with images and articles telling me how to change my eyes, my hair, my skin, my feet, my hands, my butt, my breasts…did I leave anything out? By the time I was a quarter of the way through I was feeling insecure about every part of me. Then I realized the magazine had done just what it intended too. Advertisers, who pay for space in the magazine want us women to feel insecure so we buy their products. No wonder why 8 million Americans have an eating disorder! According to the Department of Mental Health, “One in 200 American women suffers from anorexia, two to three in 100 American women suffers from bulimia, and nearly half of all Americans personally know someone with an eating disorder.” This is such disturbing news!
I believe that in order for things to change we shouldn’t look or purchase magazines that focus solely on outer appearance. We also shouldn’t buy (literally) into what the images tell us. We must nourish our bodies and treat ourselves well! No matter how much we change our physical self, if we don’t feel good about ourselves we won’t feel attractive. We are all beautiful and unique in our own way and when we take care of ourselves and love who we are, we glow. Just think of this…our shell is temporary, while our soul holds the light.** -Sara Holliday MFT, CPT