Healthy Self-Esteem
This is something I feel is a very big problem in our society. We are taught (from an incredibly young age), that you have to look a certain way to be pretty; that you have to act a certain way for people to like you; that you have to have certain things to be important. THIS IS ALL WRONG! All of it. It scares me to see 10 year old girls who look like they are 18. It scares me to think that children in elementary school can have eating disorders because they are not being accepted for how they are and they feel like they need to be different. It makes me sad that there are so many people who don’t understand what it means to truly like and appreciate themselves for who they are- not what kind of shoes they have or what car they drive. That so many people don’t think they are good enough. I admit, this is a problem I have had my fair share of struggles with as well, so don’t think I’m just pointing my finger at everyone else.
I feel so strongly that this is a problem brought on by the society we live in– and that we have the power to change it! Now, I’m not being paid by Dove to say this, but I completely LOVE their program of Real Beauty. It is so inspiring. I couldn’t decide which of these commercials I liked more, so I decided to post both. The first one is just frightening.
It blows my mind to see the transformation that they do to this girl, and then they display it and tell us that this is what we should look like.
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And the second one, it makes me smile, but at the same time, it just makes me want to cry. Its so sad, yet so sweet at the same time. What are we teaching our children, if they are afraid to come out of the house because of what they look like?
Having self-esteem is so critical. When you feel that you are a worthwhile person, you’ll be less vulnerable to the world and more likely to make good choices regarding yourself and your body. When you feel good about yourself and who you are, you will enjoy life so much more. You can stop worrying about what others think and only worry about what you think. Be who you want to be and who you feel that you should be. Everyone else gets to decide who they will be- don’t let them decide who you will be. Try taking this short self esteem test... see if there are things you can improve on. (Now, don’t get down on yourself if the score isn’t what you want it to be– that would be totally counter-productive. Just take it as a helpful suggestion of what you can concentrate on.)
Lets do our best to not judge others. Lets all try to accept each other as equals and try a little bit harder to be a good friend and reach out to those who made need us. Service is a strong way to build self-esteem. When we stop thinking about ourselves and our own problems, its amazing how much those things just take care of themselves anyways.
I love that you used a picture from One Tree Hill
And I love the Dove campaign! My dream PH job it work on that campaign. I agree, self-esteem is so critical and today so many young people don’t realize the potential they have. I think one place to implement some form of that campaign is to focus on High Schools, or even Elementary schools, because low self-esteem starts at such a young age now days, as shown by the Amy ad.
Something that I noticed when I worked with the youth at EFY is that negative thinking especially about your own image can be addicting. It can become a habit and it’s not something that you can change in one lesson about self esteem. Low self esteem comes from years of reinforcement – whether or not it comes from others or within. That is the hardest thing about fixing and changing how people view themselves, because maybe they don’t want to change.
The media does a great job at making girls feel bad about themselves. Just like the Dove commercial portrays, most of the woman we idealize are fake. It is impossible for us to look like the women in magazine covers and in movies because they are fake! Also, we should not compare ourselves to others because everyone is born with a different body type. I think it helps to focus on the positive things about ourselves and our bodies. For example, you should be grateful for eyes to see with, legs to run with, and other appendages that bless our lives. It would be great if the media would help us know what is real and realistic and what is computerized and unachievable.