Gabourey Sidibe on self-perception: “One day I had to sit down with myself and decide that I loved myself no matter what my body looked like and what other people thought about my body. I got tired of hating myself.”photo credit: Getty Images
Go ahead.
Stop what you are doing right now and look in the nearest reflective surface. Ignore the mean girl in your head and the things she always says because the mean girl is a bitch and it’s time to tell her to shut up, already. Instead, focus on the positive.
One positive.
Christina Hendricks on the example her mother set for her: “I guess my mom raised me right. She was very celebratory of her body. I never heard her once say, ‘I feel fat.’ Back when I was modeling, the first time I went to Italy I was having cappuccinos every day, and I gained 15 pounds. And I felt gorgeous! I would take my clothes off in front of the mirror and be like, Oh, I look like a woman. And I felt beautiful, and I never tried to lose it, ’cause I loved it.” photo credit: Getty Images
And then build up from there.
So many of us are trapped in the mindset that beauty is defined by a number on the scale and wrapped in Spanx because only smooth silhouettes are acceptable and that’s complete and utter bullshit, my friends. When celebrities of all shapes and sizes celebrate themselves just the way they are? You can bet your ass I’m going to share it because for every Celebrate Your Body headline out there, we’ll see ten times as many telling us how to lose 20 pounds in the next five minutes following a few easy steps. Messages like these tend to get lost in the noise.
Kate Winslet on body image: “I have a crumble baby belly, boobs are worse for wear after two kids … I’m doing all right. I’m 33. I don’t look in the mirror and go, ‘Oh, I look fantastic!’ Of course I don’t. Nobody is perfect. I just don’t believe in perfection. But I do believe in saying, ‘This is who I am and look at me not being perfect!’ I’m proud of that.’” photo credit: Getty images
Many thanks to Huff Post Style for their slideshow featuring 20 celebs on their thoughts on body image, beauty, and what they love about themselves. Gabourey, Christina, and Kate’s made me want to stand up and cheer, and that’s why you see their faces and words here. Take a look at the Huff Post Style slideshow here and choose your own.
Tell the mean girl that even if the Kardashians annoy the hell out of you (okay…me), Kim and Chloe are not exempt from body image issues and, in fact, are real people, too. We’re passing the peace pipe today, ladies, not the bitch stick. That means we all play nice in the sandbox while we focus on happiness, self-acceptance, and beauty as we define it for ourselves.
Be inspired.
Look in that mirror again. Keep looking until your reflection is smiling back at you.
Pauline Ca
mpos is the editor of the new ebook anthology, Strong Like Butterfly, which features the writing talents of writers Lissa Rankin, Therese Walsh, Mercedes Yardley, and many more. She contributes to Funny Not Slutty, Owning Pink, and 30 Second Mom. She blogs three times a week at Aspiring Mama (or when she remember to take her Adderall) and is the founder of Girl Body Pride. Strong like Butterfly is currently available on Smashwords.
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