1 July 2013 - Airbrushing

I'm ashamed to admit that there are times I have looked in the mirror and cried in frustration at the shape of my stomach. I don't even remember at what age I determined that the look of any bumpy parts on my tummy was so unsightly but what I do remember strongly is the eagerness with which my young eyes would scan the photographs of women in magazines and feel in awe of their smoothly lined figures. 

I'm ashamed to admit that my stomach wasn't the only target of this kind of negative appraisal and that I've allowed similarly degrading thoughts to take place when I've looked in the mirror  regarding my skin tone, hair, thighs, breasts, chin and even the crease formed by my armpit when I stand with my arm by my sides. I'm ashamed to confess that I have actually chosen not to wear a singlet in the heat of summer I've been so upset by the sight of that perfectly natural crease. 

Why? Why would elements of my body that are so perfectly natural cause me such frustration and pain? 

I'm ashamed to admit that I bought into the lies that we are fed through photographs. So here's the truth as I see it.... 

Stomachs are not usually flat or smooth. Women naturally carry extra fatty tissue in this area to protect our uterus's. Breasts are subject to the laws of gravity and are generally quite asymmetrical. Skin is usually not smooth and evenly toned. It displays our scars with their stories, freckles, birthmarks, fine lines, variations in pigmentation, cellulite, acne and wrinkles. Body's jiggle, especially thighs. Jiggling is normal. Hair often takes on a life of it's own, especially in rain and/or humidity. Creases form between limbs on our bodies. Because that's the way bodies are made. The mobility of our limbs would be compromised if they somehow seamlessly connected to the trunk of our body. 

I know I'm ashamed to have bought into the lies but can somebody please explain to me why we're so ashamed of this truth? Why we continue to take images of such perfectly normal, natural and beautiful women and distort them into something something unattainable and label it as ideal? Why there are so many women starving, over-exercising, dieting, crying, self-loathing, pill popping, injecting, and even subjecting their bodies to surgery because of the impression left on them by these photographs? 

I would love to see, in my lifetime, the advertising industry standards enforce a ban on using images of women that have been airbrushed, or touched up. Too much to hope for?