The other day I was fighting a cold so I laid down on the couch and turned on Oprah. She had Carson of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy fame on promoting his new show, How to Look Good Naked. Since we don't have cable I've never seen the show, but I love Carson so I decided to have a (half-asleep) looksie.
It was really interesting. He was saying that most women focus on the negative of their bodies so they always feel bad about themselves, rather than seeing the good things that other people see. He made these women stand nearly-nekkid in front of a mirror and tell him what they see. They, of course, pointed out all of the bad things - rolls on the tummy, big butt, jiggly thighs, etc. Then he proceeded to tell them all of the good things he saw - well defined waist, nice shoulders, great calves, you get the idea.
The next part was even crazier. He projected an image of the women in their near-nekkid glory, sans head, onto a building in downtown Chicago and then asked random passers-by what they thought. All of the passers-by had positive things to say! I was as shocked as the women themselves. Is it possible that people don't see me the same way I see me?!
It was a firm wake up call that, while there is a lot of work to be done on my body, I can love myself the way I am. I did as Carson suggested and stood in front of the mirror, trying to find the good things. I realized that my waist is well defined, and I do have nice calves! My forearms and wrists are skinny, and and I have great eyes and a nice smile.
I highly recommend this excercise to everyone. If you can't find the good things yourself, invite a trusted friend, spouse, or other relative to help. It was so empowering to realize there was as many good things about the outside of me as there are bad...and that the bad things can be changed. Knowing that there are already some good things makes it that much easier for me to want to do the things I know I need to do to change the bad things - like forego my beloved Cadbury eggs in favor of carrot sticks this Easter season.
1 comment:
Laura-
I was just telling Matt about this episode, and how much it affected me internally. It opened up a vision that my husband has always tried to convey to me... a vision that I am okay as a human being, and possibly attractive! Ha ha. It is so sad that we are oppressed by images of tiny women who are portrayed as beautiful and sexy. The reality of this is sad, because often those women do not offer the real beauty of a woman: Childbirth, hard work, intellectualism, wisdom and so many other traits that supersede being thin or pretty to the World's standards.
Thank you for posting your thoughts on this show and offering your own person insight as to how it changed you for the better.
Love,
Beth
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