Beauty.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U

The link posted above is for a commercial from Dove's Real Beauty campaign. This specific piece is called "Dove Evolution."

Isn't it fascinating how media affects us and our perception of beauty? As I was scrolling through the blog, I saw a post by my classmate, Lia Thompson (http://j22010.blogspot.com/2010/03/obsession-with-beauty.html), and wanted to piggy back off her ideas.

When did the media determine who or what is beautiful? Who gets to make that judgement call? Granted many people look to celebrities and stars to see what is in fashion or what could be deemed as "acceptable" or "appropriate." Many times what celebrities wear or how they act is copied by their fans.

But what if their lifestyle habits, fashion sense, or language is awful?

America seems to be a culture that is highly, highly influenced by the media and the messages it brings us. Maybe it is due to our country's large dependence on mass media outlets. It is heartbreaking to me to see little boys and girls dressed in what my opinion is "inappropriate." It is horrible to hear that to someone, beauty is the size of their waist or their chest. Or even, that beauty is what the opposite sex things of someone.

Is that really what our society has taught people?

Beauty is not dependent on what others think of us, but rather, what we think of ourselves.

I believe the most beautiful people are confident, happy, and have a clear understanding of who they are.

Sure it is nice to get compliments here and there. But I think the key to being beautiful and happy, is just to be oneself. That means, NOT modeling ourselves after the people on TV shows, the radio, movies, or in magazines. We were each made to be us, not someone else.

It's time to live like that.

Obsession with Beauty

by: Lia

I know there are a lot of places in the world that emphasize beauty. It doesn’t seem like any of them are as obsessed with it as we are, unless the country as been influenced by the U.S. and now looks at beauty under the same lens.

Oh, to be back in the day when curvy and solid women were revered. I think that women with some meat on their bones are absolutely gorgeous; heck, I’d like a bit more myself.
I wish the rest of society, especially the media, saw it that way.

It’s sad to see so many models and actors starve themselves to death just to meet society's belief on what is beautiful. Take Lindsey Lohan for example: she was absolutely beautiful. I thought she was a terrific size; she had curves, and she looked great. Then she started to see the pressures of being skinny, and now she looks horrible. It’s really sad.

So many impressionable young girls have eating disorders because of the media. “1 out of every 100 young women between 10-20 years old is starving herself, sometimes to death.” Girls try to be something they will never be. Most of us weren’t made to look like the models that are projected on the T.V. screen, billboards, and magazine ads.

Dove's got it figured out; real women are beautiful and should be celebrated.

We need to appreciate who we are, celebrate our uniqueness, and embrace what we see as flaws. I’m talking to myself here too. It’s easy to get caught up in what we think we lack and compare ourselves to others. It’s about time we stop and start loving ourselves. The media needs to start getting with it too!