Thanks to the media's war on self esteem, it can be very difficult to create and maintain a positive self image. People's outer beauty is valued over their inner beauty, and their outer beauty is rigidly defined by impossible standards. Here are tips to appreciate the beauty of a positive self image.
Self Image and the Media
The media often tries to break down self esteem. This is particularly true in the world of beauty and fashion magazines. In her excellent book, The Beauty Myth, Naomi Wolf writes "...though magazines are trivialized, they represent something very important: Women's mass culture." This is certainly true with respect to the culture of destroying self esteem. If one wishes to build self esteem and a positive self image, the best first step is to stay away from these kinds of media.
Positive Self Image
As an alternative to surrounding oneself with the negative beauty culture, one should surround herself with an alternative, positive self image beauty culture. There are articles that try to show that people should appreciate their bodies, and not only be happy with themselves if they reach a certain size. There are films, such as the Shrek series and the film, "Real Women Have Curves," that help support the idea that beauty doesn't just have one definition. There are now models of all shapes and sizes and online support communities for people who want to surround themselves with positive influences.
The Image of Beauty
A great technique to help start every day right is to look in the mirror and declare the person staring back to be beautiful, then describe what about that person is beautiful and why. This doesn't just have to be physical, it can be emotional and intellectual qualities as well. Thinking about this positive self image can help people recognize and appreciate their beauty. It will also help build confidence and and self esteem, which most realize are qualities that are attractive to the opposite sex in and of themselves.
The Self Esteem Community
One should always make sure that he or she has supportive friends to help one learn to love oneself. The right kind of friend gives compliments about a person's qualities, not complaints about a person's superficial flaws. In addition, one should never be with a romantic partner who doesn't love and appreciate who he or she really is. Although many people believe such a partner may be impossible, with hard work and patience one can indeed be found, it is always worth the wait.
The first step to build self esteem is to stay away from negative media influences, such as beauty magazines. It helps to be surrounded by alternative media that promote acceptance and the beauty of a positive self image. Certain techniques can help build and maintain a positive image, which is important because most people believe confidence itself is attractive. Lastly, one of the best ways to keep up self esteem and a healthy positive self image is to be surrounded by friends and a partner who are supportive.
Sources:
Naomi Wolf, The Beauty Myth, 2002.
Jared Plotkin - I recently graduated from UC Irvine and I am trying to make a career out of freelance writing. I enjoy writing about a wide variety of ...
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