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Learning to Live in Your Body

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all? Is it you? What do you see when you look in the mirror? Are you happy with the person looking back at you? As our image of self is critical to our esteem and effects all aspects of our lives it is certainly worthy of discussion. Let's begin by stating that the way that you see yourself, and the way that others perceive you are almost always different, but the former is definitely most important as it forms a good deal of the latter.

Getting comfortable with ourselves in our own body is not as simple as it sounds. Most of us have physical attributes that we wish were different - we may wish to be taller, thinner, have a smaller nose or curly hair. There are many among us who spend a lot of time fretting over these things and therefore view themselves in a negative light -which is often exhibited in general insecurity.

So why do so many people spend so much time worrying about it? There are many factors that contribute to North America's paranoia over the way we look. The biggest reason is cultural, of course. Each culture has it's own vision of beauty and what is considered beautiful. On this continent, for example, we think that it is important to be tall and thin. Men are to look strong and fit, while women are to look willowy but buxom. While we differ in what we individually think looks attractive, there is a certain underlying "look" that is commonly considered attractive. The media bombarding us with these images constantly on television, in magazines, in movies, and on billboards doesn't help either.

Big business takes full advantage of this opportunity. Sales of beauty products such as cosmetics are skyrocketing; "you will look beautiful if you wear this color of eye shadow!" "Your butt will look smaller if you wear these jeans!" Men are victims of this tactic as much as women - "You will look handsome in this suit!" "Use this product to stop hair loss and the ladies will go wild!" The whole thing is taken one step further by using sex to sell everything from beer to cars. The "you will be sexy if you use this product" tactic works like a charm because it plays on our insecurities and further makes us feel we are dependant on these products. It is therefore found to be one of the most effective forms of advertising.

If you like how you look, congratulations! You are in the minority and have managed to keep the issue in perspective. If you don't like the way you look, then you have to learn how to become more comfortable with yourself. Over time, this can be accomplished if you put some effort into it. First, decide what attributes that you don't like about yourself, and why. Seeing as this is a self-evaluation, there is no point in being anything other than honest with yourself. Next, determine if these particular characteristics can be altered, for example, you can change the fact that you don't have a flat stomach, but you can't alter the fact that you have big feet.

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