Last night's dream lingers in my mind. It was an intimate dream but deep inside it was more about my insecurities and low self-esteem.
That is a part of life I don't explore anymore. Presently, the only fun things I do are writing and graphic art. I am not complaining. Writing and art help me build self-esteem.
Lately, I wonder what it would be like to be in a romantic relationship but that part of me is in the past. After many failed relationships, I have given up.
Women have so many self-imposed expectations of beauty standards.
Even when I was a beautiful 15-year-old girl, I felt unattractive and not good enough. I compared my body to the magazine models and movie stars. Now you can add social media. But it's not just me, body dysmorphia is a common occurrence for women and men of all ages, races, religions, and wealthy or poor.
Throughout my life, I have felt ashamed of my body. Part of wrong self-assessment is the physical standards society puts on women. The other part is being a victim of child abuse and, as an adult, toxic relationships with men.
I'm glad contemporary women have more realistic self-expectations. Famous women such as Kate Winslet and Lizzo have healthy body ideals. They are both beautiful women who break the unreasonable beauty molds. Lizzo is a singer-musician who promotes plus-size body acceptance. Kate is an actress who at 46 years old refuses to have plastic surgery, she doesn't need it, she is a natural beauty. These women, and others like them, give me hope.
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Author Notes
Body dysmorphia is when people have a very negative view of an aspect of their appearance (not limited to weight or size) that is not supported by objective evidence - according to the APA Dictionary of Psychology.
Bulimia and Anorexia are serious eating disorders that can cause all kinds of health problems in some cases death. 9% of the US population, or 28.8 million Americans will have an eating disorder in their lifetime.
Eating disorders impact people of all genders, ages, races, religions, ethnicities, sexual orientations, body shapes and weights
Many of us suspect that the beautiful, often highly edited images of people we see on social media make us feel worse about our bodies.
- This week in the Finding Your Muse Club, we are learning Free Writing skills. If you are interested in joining the club give it a try. Everyone is welcome. click here if you want to check out the club
Thank you for reading and reviewing,
Gypsy
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