Saying that we are all beautiful, that all our flaws make us beautiful, could make us feel good for a while. But it may not allow us to improve our Body Image for long. However well-intentioned, these messages still make us focus on our look, with the result that we continue to worry about our bodies.
Our body image and the awareness of being beautiful
The issue is not about feeling beautiful or attractive. This is a myth caused by our society’s obsession with beauty and the pursuit of beauty as a presentation of our best self. Instead, the question is about focusing less on our body.
Eventually we all find ourselves in a different body. For example, there are those who had a body that they no longer have. Or there are those who have a very precise body image that they would like to have, but who cannot reach it.
This only makes us sad and makes us suffer. And the solution to all this is not simply being aware of being beautiful. Perhaps this is not what it means to “accept your body”. Instead, it’s about realizing that each of us has more than our outer appearance and that life is too big to simply stop looking for another body before we can accomplish everything we want.
On the other hand, critical thoughts about the body happen much less when we are able to see our body in a neutral way. And this means that thoughts about the body do not dominate our life, especially in terms of choices, experiences, what we can express and feel.
We are more than we appear
We must therefore appreciate our bodies more for what they can do than for how they look. We need to feel worthy no matter how our body looks. And we have to value ourselves for who we are as human beings, because that’s what can really make a difference in the world.
So, it’s true that there is beauty in all of us, but if we didn’t give so much space to body image, we will improve the way we see ourselves. And this will affect the way we live for the better.
