The Real Beauty Campaign

They tell women not to read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly. Feeling beautiful has nothing to do with how you look externally. It has everything to do with how you feel internally. Unfortunately, we let the outside determine how we feel on the inside. It may not be right, but it's normal. And I don't just mean that we let our appearance affect how we feel about ourselves. I mean that we often let society determine how we feel about ourselves. Society tells us what is considered beautiful and what is not. Perhaps we should blame the fashion magazines with their airbrushed supermodels. To them, beauty is what is displayed on the cover of Vogue. They don't buy into the phrase "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" or that "beauty is only skin deep and that real, true beauty lies underneath the skin". Although they do buy into the mindset that even the smallest flaw can be perfected with a little magic. So don't always believe what you see in the mirror - that you aren't that beautiful. And don't always believe what you see in the pages of Vogue magazine - that they are that perfect. Here's proof...

Too many girls develop low self-esteem from hang-ups about looks, and consequently, fail to reach their full potential in later life. So, Dove created the "Self-Esteem Fund" as an agent of change to educate and inspire girls on a wider definition of beauty. On their website, they encourage you to share your self-esteem building story to inspire others with your success. The direction of the Fund is guided by a group of people who are passionate about raising women's body-related self-esteem by offering kind and insightful support. The Fund currently supports self-esteem related programs in countries around the globe.

Personally, I think it's a good thing. I meet countless women who do not see themselves the way they should. Some are really pretty, but yet they fail to see what I see. I think the world of modeling is partially to blame for this. Believe it or not, even some supermodels aren't exempt from having a poor body image. Take a girl off the street and girl out of a modeling agency and you would be surprised how similar they are in terms of what they dislike about their body. When you look at a behind the scenes model shoot like this, it's no wonder our perception of beauty is distorted. Part of the key to feeling beautiful is having a positive attitude. I think there is something to be said about that. I believe that is what Dove is trying to achieve with their "Self-Esteem Fun". A negative vibe radiates off a person, making them "ugly". Whereas a positive outlook, it has a special glow to it - warmth, friendliness, fun. Who wouldn't want to be around a beautiful woman like that? Remember, confidence is S-E-X-Y!

Side Note: To the "I need to lose 2 lbs first" girl...you are not as fat as you imagine. A size 4 isn't even fat in the world of professional modeling.