Beautiful

I was sick this past Tuesday, so I can't reflect on that lecture at all. However, I really felt strongly about a lot of the things that we discussed last Thursday. In one of my classes last semester we talked about the book called "Reviving Ophelia" by Mary Pipher. She is a psychologist who has done a great deal of research on the effects that media images can have on young women. An unfortunate fact that she pointed out was that the majority of the praise that girls get is because of their looks and not for something they have accomplished. For example, most girls are told they are pretty or have a great body instead of being told they are smart or talented.
I may just be an emotional person, but it literally makes me cry when I realize how many youong girls think that the only valuable thing about them is their body. I also know a little about what it's like to feel this way. I have always been extremely thin, and people frequently comment on this fact. There were times as a child when I was told I was too "scrawny", but most of the comments were envious or praising. I was even told by a family member that they hoped I always stayed thin, unlike another person in my family. I have gotten to the point where I feel like being thin is the best thing about me. It's what I'm good at naturally, and it defines who I am. This doesn't mean that I don't have other goals that I'm proud of, but I worry how I will feel if someday I lose my figure as my defining factor. I know it's petty, but it's the reality that many girls and women have to live with.
After seeing the Dove Make Over commercial, it gives me a little hope that our society is shifting to a more realistic view of women. I pray that if I ever have daughters of my own they will grow up appreciating more than just their physical appearances. No one gets to be young and thin and flawless forever, because age sort of levels out that playing field. I just wish that people would learn to value the more important and more permanent aspects of others that define who they are.

-Michelle