werrextink
Jan 15, 2009
Undergraduate / 'Accepting myself who I am' - UT admission, important issue. Body image [6]
i'm going to submit my application soon, i just wanted a few more opinions
any criticism or comments are welcome! (:
Choose an issue of importance to you-the issue could be personal, school related, local, political, or international in scope-and write an essay in which you explain the significance of that issue to yourself, your family, your community, or your generation
It's a ritual I encounter almost every day of my life in various forms. Its even something I often catch myself taking part in without realizing it. I walk into the girl's bathroom at my school and approach the sink counter. Next to me, two quite-attractive girls, pull out their make-up bags from their purses and pull out their lip glosses and concealer sticks. Examining their faces closely, grimacing and silently whining in self-deprecation, searching for every slight imperfection visible to the human eye, they attack their faces, slicking on masses of goopy lip gloss and dusting away at their noses and cheekbones. They finish and stand back from the mirror, now leading their eyes to the reflection of their bodies in the mirror. I hear whimpers like, "I look so bloated," and "my calves are huge," and watch silently as they tug at their clothes and squeeze at their tummy flesh, trying to imagine themselves without the extra "weight" on their already slim and healthy bodies. I sigh in disappointment and look at my own mirror reflection, suddenly seeing the exact thing these two other girls see before them. I then wonder, if pretty girls like them can't accept their bodies the way it is, than what must that mean for someone like me?
Body image involves our perception, emotions, and physical sensations about our bodies. It is subject to changes in our moods, personal experiences, and living environments. But in reality it's all psychological. We make ourselves think that we must constantly be improving ourselves. We believe that we are never skinny enough, or fashionable enough, or perfect enough to be loved or to love ourselves.
Its not only women in developed countries who deal with these psychological issues, but women all over the world. I see it every day on Indonesian television, with commercial advertisements of whitening body lotions and herbal slimming teas. Not only that, but in Thailand, cosmetic surgeries are the most popular medical procedures performed, which includes liposuction and 'double eyelid' blepharoplasty surgery. In Brazil, fifty percent of all Brazilian women say that they are prepared to go under the knife as well to keep their looks.
With the influences of television, movies, radio, and the general media, us girls feel as though we must live up to this high standard of beauty, starving ourselves and blowing large wads of cash on designer clothes and bags. Our peers, too, place this heavy expectation on our shoulders, all looking to one idea of beauty that society has developed. Its normal at this stage in life to sometimes still feel insecure about our bodies and appearances, but in this day in age these feelings of insecurity are usually intensified by these images of skinny, air-brushed and unrealistically perfect women that we are subjected to on a daily basis.
When did it become "uncool" to accept yourself for who you are? Why do girls allow ourselves to fall into this whirlpool of self-loathing and disappointment? One thing that most girls fail to think about is how often we put our self-value and value of our possessions over the true essence of a person. Being the skinniest girl in school with the most expensive clothes will not bring you happiness, and being beautiful is not in having perfect hair and flawless skin. Being beautiful is in loving yourself and loving life, being a good person and being altruistic. People in our society should not look to others for approval, but look for approval within oneself.
i'm going to submit my application soon, i just wanted a few more opinions
any criticism or comments are welcome! (:
Choose an issue of importance to you-the issue could be personal, school related, local, political, or international in scope-and write an essay in which you explain the significance of that issue to yourself, your family, your community, or your generation
It's a ritual I encounter almost every day of my life in various forms. Its even something I often catch myself taking part in without realizing it. I walk into the girl's bathroom at my school and approach the sink counter. Next to me, two quite-attractive girls, pull out their make-up bags from their purses and pull out their lip glosses and concealer sticks. Examining their faces closely, grimacing and silently whining in self-deprecation, searching for every slight imperfection visible to the human eye, they attack their faces, slicking on masses of goopy lip gloss and dusting away at their noses and cheekbones. They finish and stand back from the mirror, now leading their eyes to the reflection of their bodies in the mirror. I hear whimpers like, "I look so bloated," and "my calves are huge," and watch silently as they tug at their clothes and squeeze at their tummy flesh, trying to imagine themselves without the extra "weight" on their already slim and healthy bodies. I sigh in disappointment and look at my own mirror reflection, suddenly seeing the exact thing these two other girls see before them. I then wonder, if pretty girls like them can't accept their bodies the way it is, than what must that mean for someone like me?
Body image involves our perception, emotions, and physical sensations about our bodies. It is subject to changes in our moods, personal experiences, and living environments. But in reality it's all psychological. We make ourselves think that we must constantly be improving ourselves. We believe that we are never skinny enough, or fashionable enough, or perfect enough to be loved or to love ourselves.
Its not only women in developed countries who deal with these psychological issues, but women all over the world. I see it every day on Indonesian television, with commercial advertisements of whitening body lotions and herbal slimming teas. Not only that, but in Thailand, cosmetic surgeries are the most popular medical procedures performed, which includes liposuction and 'double eyelid' blepharoplasty surgery. In Brazil, fifty percent of all Brazilian women say that they are prepared to go under the knife as well to keep their looks.
With the influences of television, movies, radio, and the general media, us girls feel as though we must live up to this high standard of beauty, starving ourselves and blowing large wads of cash on designer clothes and bags. Our peers, too, place this heavy expectation on our shoulders, all looking to one idea of beauty that society has developed. Its normal at this stage in life to sometimes still feel insecure about our bodies and appearances, but in this day in age these feelings of insecurity are usually intensified by these images of skinny, air-brushed and unrealistically perfect women that we are subjected to on a daily basis.
When did it become "uncool" to accept yourself for who you are? Why do girls allow ourselves to fall into this whirlpool of self-loathing and disappointment? One thing that most girls fail to think about is how often we put our self-value and value of our possessions over the true essence of a person. Being the skinniest girl in school with the most expensive clothes will not bring you happiness, and being beautiful is not in having perfect hair and flawless skin. Being beautiful is in loving yourself and loving life, being a good person and being altruistic. People in our society should not look to others for approval, but look for approval within oneself.
