The Fountain of Truth

Vanessa Bormann

“missSkinDeepW”

According to the Center for Eating Disorders, 56% of us hate our bodies. That is the most absurd thing I have ever heard. Our bodies were created for a spectacular use. They carry our souls through our time spent on Earth, and they are only as good as we are. Your body – each dimple, every freckle and fat roll – is a magnificent gift, a creation beyond comprehension. And let’s face it: Your body is about as much a part of you as the almost-ritualistic self-loathing that seems to be all the rage in 2000.

So why? I know, I know – we all have those days when you really wish the mirror was lying, but if you really want to blame someone, how about yourself? The way you look on the outside is a direct reaction to what you look like on the inside. What you put in your body determines the image it portrays outwardly. You cannot expect to spend your life on the couch with a bag of Doritos as a best friend and just pray to look like Cindy or Tyrese. Hating your body won’t make you look the way you want, and depriving it of food or overeating won’t bring you to your ideal weight. If it did, we’d all look just they way we wanted and have no qualms whatsoever about being “beautiful.” After all, beauty is what it’s all about, right? That’s the very reason we’re here, right?

We all want to be attractive and feel good about ourselves, and there is nothing wrong with that – no one ever said there was. However, you don’t need to eat like Bugs Bunny or join an overrated gym. I’ll let you in on a little secret: No one, no one in this whole world knows what beauty is to everyone else, so for us to try and become what someone else portrays as beautiful is like selling your soul. To want to be healthy and look nice and feel good about yourself when you look in the mirror is one thing, but to hate yourself for not being someone else’s opinion is just ridiculous. I would much rather be too fat, too skinny, or have buckteeth than sell my soul to an ideal I know I can never live up to.

If you love, like, or, hell, even just accept what you look like and take care of your body the way it deserves, I’ll be willing to bet you anything that there is someone else in this world who thinks you are the most beautiful thing ever. Fab abs and pecs of steel are great, but they aren’t eternal. Positive body image can be, and isn’t that what it’s really all about? ◼