Week VII: Body Mirage

Hi Readers!

Hope you found some tunes to add to your workout playlist from last week's post!

This week, I had a lot of things in mind to talk about, but I kept running into a particular topic which is becoming quite popular to discuss, and that is body image. Whether you're famous or not (*cough cough* Jessica Simpson), we all struggle to find an appropriate scale to place ourselves on, regarding what looks heavy, skinny, and especially healthy! Labels certainly don't help. On Monday, actress, Portia de Rossi, was on Oprah talking about what body descriptions translated to while struggling with her own body issues: "normal" meant average-looking, "womanly" meant curvy, "healthy" meant robust.

Some of these misconceptions about our bodies come from the standards society places on us with weight. It's no secret that magazine's heavily re-touch photographs, but even more shocking is what, actress, Rachel Leigh Cook exposed to Fox News: In October, Rachel discussed her own disgust with Hollywood's pressure to be thin, and it's portrayal to the public. She went on to reveal that even the supposed "candid" photos of celebrities are being altered. What's been happening is that paparazzi will put a 'slimming' lens on their camera to stretch the image, and thus, make the celebrity appear taller and leaner. Then, they tell us that these are the most beautiful women in the country, or world even, and of course setting another unrealistic standard for women to compare themselves against.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not here to say we need voluptuous curves. Believe me, I'm trying to get RID of all things "voluptuous". But where or when do we draw the line... when is skinnier, TOO skinny? I know the androgynous look is in (thanks to the skinny jean and 20%

of society that actually looks good in them) but how many girls are born with aboy-ish frame?? I mean, we are WOmen after-all, right? Some of my favorite healthy & realistic body-idols are Carrie Underwood, Reese Witherspoon, Kelly Osbourne, and Jennifer Aniston.

Honestly, body-image is not just a gray-area, but also a dark place for many of us. But what I keep emphasizing to myself, which you can too, is to be the best-looking YOU. I know it sounds incredibly cliche, and we've heard it all before, but seriously, we need to stop the comparisons. So many people are facing B.D.D. (Body Dysmorphic Disorder) because we can't accept our own image due to the distorted expectations.

Here's a tip I practice 3x a day to stop the negative voices: write down an immediate thought that is upsetting you and find a more rational way of thinking about it.

For example: "I think I'm unattractive". Write down evidence that proves it, and then evidence that disproves it. Then, rewrite that thought with a more clear conscience and repeat it 3x a day. I honestly do this everyday and suddenly when a negative thought pops in, I can immediately restate the thought in a more realistic way.

*Please remember, I'm not a doctor, just a young woman trying to find a healthy-path through life! So, please take my recommendations with your own regard. And of course I'd love to hear how you all have found a happy and healthy path in your lives! So, click below on "comment" to share your thoughts! (for those without a google account click on Anonymous or Name/URL)

Quote of the Week:

"The happiest man alive would look in the mirror and see himself exactly as he is" - Dumbledore, Harry Potter

xx,

-Kate

Week 1: Finding a Healthy Role Model

I think it's helpful to have someone that you can look up to for inspiration when striving for a goal. Whether you're a 15 year-old high school basketball player looking up to Michael Jordan, an artist inspired by Andy Warhol, or simply a person who just needs someone to stand for what they want to be, I think it's great to have representation of your goal(s). Aside from being a role model, I think that visualization of a goal is very important. When you have something that gives you an image of what can be, it's much more powerful than a big question mark at the end of the road. I think that role model's can provide a sort of visual aid, if you will, to what your goal looks like, once achieved.

I've always struggled with finding a real role model in life. There were the Britney Spears days, the unrealistic Oprah-aspirations.. but, never someone around my age who seemed to come from what I was struggling with. However, recently, there was a lot of buzz about Kelly Osbourne, daughter of Ozzie Osbourne, and her new slender figure. I was apprehensive in congratulating her at first because Kelly had dropped weight before due to drug abuse. But, after Kelly announced she'd been clean of drugs and had found a new healthy lifestyle I started to read up more about how she slimmed down. I read that amongst other tactics and lifestyle changes, some of the things Kelly took up were ballet, pilates, nibbling on an apple before bed to keep her metabolism going over night, and many other healthy choices. But, Kelly's starting weight was very close to mine, and although our bodies are totally different in how they react to changes/diets, I think I can look to her as a role model in that 'yes I can lose the weight'. I think about how much weight has to be taken off in order to be in my "healthy" range and it's overwhelming, but having a role model to keep me motivated is certainly another hand helping me reach my goals.

These are just some before/after shots of Kelly. The first was taken in 2007 & the second just recently at the Emmy's in 2010. I'd like to take a few "before" shots of myself to later compare just like this... but I'll save those for when the weight starts to finally melt off :)







I really loved what Kelly talked about today, on the Ellen show concerning her weight and self-esteem. So, check out Kelly Osbourne on the Ellen show below, and hear her talk about loving her body and finding confidence.

"I don't ever want to be the prettiest girl in the world, I just want to like myself"

Absolutely my new role model.