Yesterday my Dad and I were looking through proofs from a recent photo shoot and with every picture my eyes immediately zoomed in on myself. Did I look good? fat? ugly? weird? Only after evaluating my appearance was I able to observe the rest of the picture. When I’m obsessing over the way I look in photos (and in general) depression always follows. I have this vision of how I should look, and I know that I will never reach that standard. It definitely doesn’t help that we are constantly shown images of women who are “perfect”.
It’s almost impossible for me to look in the mirror without consciously or unconsiously comparing myself to the latest cover of Instyle magazine. But the images on magazines covers and billboards should not be our standard of beauty, because they’re not even real people! For a quick reality check, watch this video created by Dove as a part of their campaign for “real beauty”. You’ll witness the amazing process of how artists can turn an ordinary girl into a cover girl. The second video, Amy, is a great example of your own self image versus the way others might see you. It’s really cute!
