(Photo credits to Dove Campaign for Real Beauty)
We live in a world where commercials tell us to lose weight, to dress a certain way to wear our hair like this or that. We look at these pictures on Yahoo or Instagram that highlight the lives of these "models" who are half naked and in provocative poses. I have no problem with these things,because I see those women and HOPE that they are in their own beauty. That the look they are giving off is what they, in their own mind consider to be THEIR own beautiful.
I used to wonder why guys would stalk the pages of the instagram models, post obscene comments and basically drool on their phones over a picture. I hear my guy friends talk about women and how attractive they are to certain body types. Then in retaliation I hear women say those bodies are "unrealistic" in fact I hear women say it's "pure photo-shop". Funny.... if those bodies were unrealistic, how come some women REALISTICALLY look like that? I follow plenty of fitness pages on Instagram, I see the amazing bodies and chiseled abs. I also see the dedication it takes for those women to obtain that body and it's AMAZING. I also love to read comments from women who are in admiration and inspired from those "unrealistic body" types.
Either way, when those women are throwing shade, the person in the picture is most likely thinking they are beautiful and have all the confidence in the world.
Be the beautiful that suits you and own it. If you love your natural hair, then by all means rock the hell out of it! My girl T rocks hers and honey she is fabulous. If you love long weave then hell grab that Remi and make it do what it do! If you love colorful hair, skin, piercings and make up, then make your body your pallet and showcase that art.
I love Kate Hudson she did an article with InStyle Magazine and said:
" The negativity is just so vast. Will everybody stop being so damned judgmental? That's like asking someone if they see a therapist- and why? If someone wants to go get butt implants, then sure, go get butt implants. The real question is, How do they treat the person next to them? are they a-holes or are the awesome?"
Be the beauty that works for YOU.
My beauty has also been covered up. It's been masked from the days of me being on television at eighteen to now. Being in the news you have to look a certain way and many other ways are unacceptable. Many African American women news anchors have lost their jobs by not wearing weaves and deciding to go natural. Why? To that world of television, that doesn't fit the definition of beauty. For me being my own beautiful came out when I was in my room. It never came out around my friends or a man that I would be seeing at the time. I was so used to the "image" that I received when growing up in the news. It's a hard thing to shake, especially when you're growing INTO that situation. I didn't have that option to be my own beautiful. I had to wear make up, have weave in, wear certain clothes and so on. I'm very grateful for that opportunity, but for a growing woman it was easy to get confused with my identity.
Relationships caused me to change many things, habits, likes, friendships, body type, hair color and length, and style with my clothing, not to mention the type of music I LOVED and the list goes on.Soon I was looking at myself changing things because the people around me didn't like it. All I've ever wanted was to be accepted, being on TV and radio made me an outcast. People thought I was better than them, my success changed them, it didn't change me. However it did show me who and what I had to let go.
Now I've come to a place where I don't need that validity. I don't need that assurance because well... honestly.... I don't care about the "image" people want me to have. For those who tried to change me, ridiculed me, hated on me, talked about me and TRIED to beat me, I'm still here, and I'm not going anywhere.
I am my own beautiful
Be the beautiful that suits you and own it. If you love your natural hair, then by all means rock the hell out of it! My girl T rocks hers and honey she is fabulous. If you love long weave then hell grab that Remi and make it do what it do! If you love colorful hair, skin, piercings and make up, then make your body your pallet and showcase that art.
My beauty has also been covered up. It's been masked from the days of me being on television at eighteen to now. Being in the news you have to look a certain way and many other ways are unacceptable. Many African American women news anchors have lost their jobs by not wearing weaves and deciding to go natural. Why? To that world of television, that doesn't fit the definition of beauty. For me being my own beautiful came out when I was in my room. It never came out around my friends or a man that I would be seeing at the time. I was so used to the "image" that I received when growing up in the news. It's a hard thing to shake, especially when you're growing INTO that situation. I didn't have that option to be my own beautiful. I had to wear make up, have weave in, wear certain clothes and so on. I'm very grateful for that opportunity, but for a growing woman it was easy to get confused with my identity.
Is it just me or is Facebook, MySpace, Tagged and whatever time wasting, soul sucking, mind boggling bs networking site full of lames? Facebook is the QUEEN of “Tough Guys” MySpace is dead but where everyone is a musician and Tagged is where perverts can peep you out. All these sites give men interweb balls filled with words of testosterone. Females swear they are models by posting a bathroom picture and little boys replace their display pic with one that looks nothing like them. All these sites are making it easier for enemies to become your best friend, guys can brag on how much money they make and females can stalk their exes. What happened to “Hey wanna get a coffee?” Since when did that turn into “What’s your Instagram name?” I miss the romance of talking on the phone for hours, now it been replaced by texting and Facebook poking. If you ask me this blows. I want LOVE PEOPLE! Is that too much to ask? Well enough of the venting for now, time to get some shut eye before work. <3 Hope