Category Archives: Beauty

Love me, love my vagina.

flowervagina

Wikimedia Commons/Vinayaraj

Speaking of body image, I was more than slightly taken aback when I read that more and more women are having elective vagioplasty.  If you’re not familiar with the term, let me fill you in.  Vagioplasty is “a procedure that aims to tighten up a vagina that’s become slack or loose from vaginal childbirth or aging.”  Think of it as a face-lift for the Cha Cha.

I have to tell you that I’ve been so worried about my ever-expanding ass that I hadn’t even considered that my downtown area might be in need of a major overhaul.

And quite honestly, I don’t want to think about it.  45 years and 3 child-births later, my vagina is what it is.  It’s like an old leather jacket- broken in, soft, and comforting. I’ve always been opened minded to the idea of cosmetic surgery, but to be obsessed with the state of my lady garden seems borderline neurotic.

Carl Jung said, “The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely.” Even one’s vagina.

Well that’s all I’ve got.  Be kind to yourself today!

Becky

“Permanently and inevitably flawed…” ~Amy Bloom

"Blue girl" in a different color, sl...

Photo credit: Wikipedia

We women are obsessed with our bodies.  Whether it’s our wrinkles or our butts or  our lovely varicose veins, we can’t stop critiquing and trying to improve.  To wit:

  • Americans spend more than 40 billion a year on diet and beauty products
  • 8 out 10 women are not happy with at least one aspect of their physical appearance
  • The average American woman is 5’4″ and 140 pounds
  • The average American model is 5′ 11″ and 117 pounds
  • The current media ideal of thinness is achieved by less than 5% of the female population

And it gets worse.  We pass along our obsession to the next generation:

  • More than 50% of 10-year-old girls wish they were thinner
  • 80% of 10-year-old girls have dieted and 90% of high school junior and senior women diet regularly
  • Young girls are more afraid of becoming fat than they are of nuclear war, cancer, or losing their parents

What to do about it?  Here are 3 simple things we can all do to feel better about ourselves in no time:

  • Stop the beat-down- Would you ever tell your boss she looked fat in that dress or your friend she had sausage legs?  The answer is probably no, so extend the same courtesy to yourself.  ”Treat yourself as you would treat others, and you’ll find negative thoughts will lessen over time,” explains Leslie Goldman, body image expert.
  • Get rid of all the things that make you feel less than- negative friends, fashion mags with photo shopped supermodels, or TV shows that portray unrealistic women with unrealistic lives.
  • And most importantly, don’t compare yourself to others.  Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes!

And what can you do for the girls in our lives?

  • Compliment them on qualities other than looks.
  • Talk about the unrealistic sizes of women in the media.
  • Encourage them to get moving and get messy.

How do you help the women around you feel better about themselves?  Please share your strength!

Photo credit:  The Daily Quotes

Love,

Becky

Fathead Follies

deep sea diving in a kiddie pool

highly irritable blog*

* future trial testimony

Matt on Not-WordPress

Stuff and things.

imconfident

I sincerely believe that it is far more beneficial and far less costly to help a child build confidence than it is to fix an adult who has little or none.

Mom At Work

Work is the easy part.

Miss Snarky Pants

A Humor Blog For Horrible People

Because I'm Going To Die

And so I write...

lipstick-chat

It's power, knowledge & connection

The Wisdom Initiative

A workshop for creative, innovative thoughts on pursuing wisdom, justice and virtue in the human experience

Five And Spice

fitting real food into real life

Modwest FAQ and Knowledge Base - Most popular FAQs

It's power, knowledge & connection

The Daily Post

The Art and Craft of Blogging

A World of Inspirations

Dream. Be inspired. Do. Create.

Kristen Lamb's Blog

We Are Not Alone

BraveTart

It's power, knowledge & connection

The Renaissance Mind

A collection of thoughts on humanity by, Brenton Weyi. Now Mostly Moved to Orastories.com

Little Red Courgette

Never Knowingly Underfed

meanderest

I was born upon thy bank, river

The Muddy Kitchen

My Messy Adventures from Garden to Table

Carr party of five

I write to remember......

zenhabits

It's power, knowledge & connection

Recipe Girl

It's power, knowledge & connection

Gourmet De-Constructed

Gourmet Food De-Constructed for the Average Home Cook

the living notebook

creativity : art : philosophy : productivity : writing

Mirror/Mirror Episodes

It's power, knowledge & connection

To Be Aware

It's all about disbelieving your thoughts

frugal foodie family | fabulous chow - less dough

a family of 4 ( and occasionally the neighborhood ) eating well on a budget

Bucket List Publications

Indulge- Travel, Adventure, & New Experiences

WordPress.com News

The latest news on WordPress.com and the WordPress community.

foodwanderings

It's power, knowledge & connection

carebyme

care by me We want to create a contemporary design based on everyday life, and with room for joy and fun.

The Stay-at-home Scientist

Science, Gardening, Work-Life Balance

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 207 other followers