Tuesday 6 January 2009

Beauty: Thin .vs. Fat



"I want to grow old without facelifts. I want to have the courage to be loyal to the face I have ready made." -- Marilyn Monroe

Those of you who know me well will know that I have never been bothered about my weight. I've never bought into 'diets' and have never really considered trying to loose weight. However, I notice when people around me begin to say things about their weight. Just small things, but things which affect them and the way they think nevertheless. It doesn't matter how beautiful they are they will find a flaw that no one else notices. In some cases it's weight. Whether by weight I mean a slightly sticky-out stomach, overweight or perceived fatness it still applies.

Obviously if you are overweight and it is affecting your health you should attempt to drop a few pounds (but for the love of god do it through a sensible mix of exercise and healthy eating!) but even if you are you shouldn't hate your body for it. You should learn to accentuate your good features, the things you get compliments on. If you don't get compliments on things ask people what they think is beautiful about you even if you feel self conscious about it. They won't think you're vain or anything.

The media has warped our belief of beauty. We feel to be beautiful we must be thin, have a perfect and symmetrical face and get endless comments on our beauty. But think about it...do you know anyone who has all of this? My thought is no. You might know people that you consider stunning but the likelihood is they just know how to work their body. They know just which colours to wear to bring out the colour of their eyes, just what brand of lipstick gives them silky smooth lips, the exact dress cut that suits them and the shoes which elongate their legs and make them look lithe as a unicorn. I expect they also eat healthily and exercise often. All of this is the real effort in beauty. That and realising that your flaws are what make you beautiful.

I am going to put this question to you and make up your minds on your own...which of these girls do you consider more breath-takingly beautiful? Which of these do you consider terrifying? The results may suprise you.

Person 1. Beth Ditto of The Gossip. Example of 'overweight and happy'.


Person 2. Kate Nash. Example of 'healthy'.


Person 3. Mary-Kate Olsen. Example of 'stick thin'.


Now tell me, which body would you REALLY rather have?

[Note: I realise I haven't been posting my 365s for a couple of days. I have been taking them but I've been busy and since they're just snapshots I didn't see any hurry to upload]

1 comment:

CatataC said...

"A distorted image of perfection".


M-K scares me.