Kick Away Corrosive Comparisons

Getting your mind made up to be beauty-positive is a fantastic first step. But staying focused on your unique attributes requires constant care, especially when the media and advertisers conspire to sabotage our efforts by inviting us to play the most time-wasting game ever: Compare and Despair.

Television and magazines bombard us with images of so-called beauty ideals that look nothing like you or me. The motive? To keep us second-guessing our own worth. We see shot after shot of celebrities who are glorified when they are “perfect” and vilified when they “let themselves go.”

We’re encouraged to judge these stars. And we do.

Comparison games create corrosive thought patterns, patterns that push us to talk negatively about ourselves and pit us against our fellow ladies. We all suffer the consequences.

Consider how many of us look at a photograph of a pretty woman—or, should I say, of a woman who fits with what society has dictated as pretty. First, we notice her beauty and appreciate it for its own sake. Then, about a half second later, that inner critic starts piping up: “I look nothing like her.

Therefore, I’m hideous.” I can almost hear the announcer right there alongside you: “Yes indeed, ladies. Another great afternoon ruined by a fun-filled round of Compare and Despair! Dedicated to keeping you in your place by knocking your spirit!”

I want off that not-so-merry-go-round. How about you?

We are society so, it is up to us to choose how we respond to what we see. The media and
marketers will only change if we change our thinking and our behavior. Thank goodness, it’s already starting to happen. For example, I applaud companies like Dove for their revolutionary Campaign for Real Beauty. Now is the perfect time to be your own beauty revolutionary, to stand up for what’s yours and to act accordingly.

Now, don’t get me wrong; admiring other women can be inspiring. As a kid, I idolized Marilyn Monroe and tried to emulate eighties supermodel Kim Alexis—both blondes with light eyes.

Coincidence? Hardly. I find most women fixate on celebs who match their coloring, as if these stars are the ultimate remix of their own features. But guess what? If you were the famous one, those same people would be talking about your beauty.

After all, the actual definition of celebrity is “one who is celebrated.” Want to be a celebrity?
Start celebrating yourself! Decide that comparing and despairing is tedious and toxic, whether the standard you’re applying is that of a fashion model or a woman at the gym.

Recognize that there will always be someone more “this” and someone less “that.” But the one with the most confidence wins every time. Resolve not to waste another minute keeping score.

You have far better ways to use that newfound time and energy.

Article Source: Get Positively Beautiful The Ultimate Guide to Looking and Feeling Gorgeous by Carmindy