Imperfection is Beautiful
By Maria Pascucci
(Originally published on Blue Jean Online)
On a scorching afternoon at a water-park in America, a young
woman peels off her T-shirt to bare flesh in a bathing suit top.
Next, she scopes the area to make sure no one's watching, slips
off her shorts and sprints for the refuge of the swimming pool.
She envies the six-year-old girl who screams, "Mommy, watch
this!" as she leaps in the pool in an attempt to create a
bigger splash than her brother. Could the young woman dare draw
attention to herself like the child carelessly did? She should
have the confidence to do so.
Body acceptance should be celebrated every time we step in front
of the mirror-even on bad hair days and during that nasty week
prior to our periods when we step on the scale and realize we
put on five pounds (it's water weight and it happens to everyone).
But an alarming number of women and girls curse their bodies.
If you're one of the brave who stands up and embraces body confidence
even in a bathing suit, then scream, dance, and do cartwheels
in front of the mirror because you've got the healthiest attitude
of all. Yeah!
Want to meet some confident girls who challenge insecurity in
a bathing suit? Look no further: I interviewed some of the BlueJeanOnline.com
young women writers, and their answers are telling.
Blue Jean columnist Emily Stoddard said she enjoys wearing a swimsuit
because she coaches herself to maintain a positive attitude. "I
choose not to make a big deal about it," she said. "Everyone
has awkward thighs or arms they don't like or a stomach that isn't
perfectly flat. If we can recognize that nearly everyone is like
this, why not wear a swimsuit?"
Are you so afraid to expose imperfection that you'd rather hide
behind an extra-large men's T-shirt than risk judgment at a beach?
Learn from Senior Correspondent Kimra McPherson's experiences.
"I wouldn't say I feel completely confident wearing a swimsuit
at a beach or a water-park," she said, "but the one
thing that helps is knowing that everybody around me is wearing
a bathing suit, too. Everybody is putting a pretty significant
portion of bare skin on display, and people are much more concerned
about their own suits than they are about mine." We all carry
our own body-complex, but if you ditch yours, you'll outshine
everyone.
If you need a place to start, try the mirror. Any girl who stands
before one in a swimsuit knows what I'm talking about. "The
worst is the moment after I put the suit on and look in the mirror
to make my assessment," McPherson said. "Whether it's
one of my good days or my bad days, I always dread the moment
when I have to look."
That simple piece of glass holds power over us only when we allow
it to. If you'd like to strip the mirror's hold over you, step
back and realize what you do to yourself the moment you look.
Teen Correspondent Yelena Levina explained, "When I look
in the mirror, I see a person who's looking at herself trying
to find little crevices of error. I catch myself trying to 'uglify'
my image."
Teen Correspondent Ryan Rose Weaver says that she tries to see
an honest reflection when she looks in the mirror. "If I've
been eating healthy and exercising regularly and I look good according
to my own body, I'll feel comfy in my own skin," she says.
"If I know I've been abusing my body with burgers and lying
around, I'll see that when I look in the mirror no matter what
others think."
When Stoddard finds herself getting picky before her mirror, she
uses humor to put everything in perspective. She tells herself,
"Hey, twenty years from now after I've had kids, I'll be
dreaming of a body like this! Why not enjoy it now." I'll
bet our moms can appreciate that argument!
Understand that how we see ourselves in a mirror determines how
we see ourselves in every aspect of our lives. If we spend twenty
minutes in front of a mirror criticizing every inch of our bodies,
how can we possibly act confidently once we leave our bedrooms?
Self-assured women know that self-love is the key to success.
So next time you step in front of your mirror in a bathing suit
or any other article of clothing, silence that inner critic with
three simple words: "Imperfection is beautiful."
