Women’s Health: I think I look fatWomen have distorted images

of their bodies. Why?
Do you think you look fat? I certainly do sometimes. I guess it depends on what I wear. Even though I am not as big as many women around me, I still feel fat. Would a doctor consider me overweight? Probably not. I am within the healthy weight range for my height. The same might be true for you, but you probably still fat. Reasons why we women feel this way The media. It’s almost cliché to talk about the images in the media. The pictures of perfect women, and the skinny actresses are flooding our senses constantly. It doesn’t matter whether you are watching television, standing in line at the grocery store, or surfing the web, you are bound to see some half dressed ‘sexy’ and ‘perfect’ female body with a frail hour glass shape. The medium to large chest size, flat tummy and shapely thighs is on magazine covers, in commercials and on the big screen all the time. The problem is that we can’t help but compare ourselves. We know that we don’t look like them, so we tell ourselves that we need to lose weight. We all want to look like someone else. Seriously, how often do you hear a woman say, "I love my body?" The words of other women. Have you ever found yourself making negative comments about the way another woman looks? Has anyone ever told you that you look fat? How about, "you should work out more," or somehow made fun of you because of your size? Women are a ton more critical than men (in general) about the weight and shape of our bodies. We are in constant competition with each other. How can we feel better about ourselves? It is important to understand that the images we see are hardly the real bodies of those women. Computer imaging is incredibly advanced, and every little imperfection is digitally altered. As far as the movies go, you would be surprised at how the angles of the camera and the pose of the actress can make them appear thinner than they are. It’s not all real. Another thing that you must consider is that these people are rich. They are paid to look a certain way, play a particular role, and project a certain image. They can afford to eat the highest quality, healthiest food available. If they gain a few pounds, they can spend thousands on a personal trainer or get surgery. They might work long hours for weeks or months at a time, but with millions between paycheck to paycheck, vacation time can be as long as they want it to be. That means they don’t work the nine to five 340 days out of the year and can spend time keeping their bodies perfect. Stop trying to compete. You have to be confident in who you are and love yourself. You are unique and you will never look like anyone else. You will always look your best when you enhance your own best features. Be yourself, inside and out. Don’t let the way other people look dictate how you should look. Observe reality. Go to the mall or the grocery store during a busy hour. Take a look at all the women. How many of them have the ‘perfect bodies’ that you see on television? You will find that a majority of people do not look anything like those people on television. Go out and really take that truth in. Count the imperfect bodies if you want. It will help you realize that you are not the only one who isn’t on a magazine cover. I think everyone should eat as much healthy food as possible and get regular exercise. Any healthy person, big or small, is beautiful to me. Taking good care of your body will help you feel attractive. If you begin to love your body, so will other people. Emotional health is the key to being beautiful. We have to stop the association with thin and beautiful. True beauty has very little to do with your weight or the size jeans you have on. You should take care of your appearance, not try to make your appearance like someone else’s. You are beautiful. Treat yourself right, and forget about what famous people look like. Just be you.