Beauty Redefined

I just got back from a workshop at my church given by Beauty Redefined. You should check it out, here. www.beautyredefined.net. It was all about loving your body and being as healthy as you can be. There are some awesome articles on the website. Here is a short summary.

• Healthy and Beautiful comes in all sizes, shapes, and colors.

• Women are defined in media as something to look at while men are defined by their actions.

• Every media picture is airbrushed? I know there are some obvious ones out there but all of them? They showed us some before and after pictures, it really makes me upset.

• White women are always tanned and dark women are lightened in media
• Sport's Illustrated and other magazines publish mainstream pornography. Sometimes we think of porn as a dark website, but unfortunately, It's in the grocery aisles and on billboards, recognize it for what it is!
  

• Women are so worried about what they look like, they're self worth is low that it keeps them from doing good things for themselves and for others. They are too focused on themselves.
  

I think that while media is to blame, we are to blame too. How often do you hear women talking bad about themselves? "My thighs are really big" and the response is something like "You think your thighs are big, you should see mine", and on and on. Or when a woman is given a compliment, "You look really nice today", and the response, "Oh my hair is so stringy, gross"

It has actually started to annoy me when I hear women talk about their bodies so negatively. I sometimes fall into the trap, but I have gotten a lot better about it since having babies. Watching my amazing body give birth to my children has made me love my body more than ever before. I love my stretch marks (I really do, ask Michael). I marvel that my body knows how to do so many things. I want to be healthy so that I can be the best me and the best mom to my children, so that I can enjoy my life.