Dare To Be Yourself!

How many times have you watched television and compared yourself to the skinny and stylish women that you are watching. This is the kind of feeling that most of us get no matter what age we are. As teenagers we are watching Hilary Duff and Jessica Simpson change the way they look with surgery in order to look skinny and to match the standards that have been set. Us older women tend to look at the women from Desperate Housewives and wonder how Eva Longoria and Teri Hatcher held on to their beauty still making the men’s jaws drop.

I am guilty of this myself. Every time I watch something like those I mentioned I start to compare myself to the women on the television, and wonder why I can’t be that skinny, or that built, or why I was cursed with the freckled face instead of the smooth perfect skin. I even tried to grow my hair out and get the look and style that so many of these top Hollywood stars have. I wanted the waves and the curls and beautiful shine.

One day it dawned on me. Why do we have to live up to their standards? Can we honestly say that trying to look like them will make us happy or feel better about ourselves?

I remembered when I was 16. I was stubborn, independent, and ready to make a statement. I didn’t want to look like every other girl walking on the street or even like the ones in the television. I wanted to have my own style and you know what ….I did and I was happy. I’ll admit that it was a bit of a nutty looking style, and I looked like a throwback from the 60’s – but it was what I wanted and I was happy to be different and unique.

I’m not saying that you have to try to strive to be different – but I am encouraging all women to have the look and the style that they want. You should look the way you want because it makes you happy, not because you think it will make you popular or because you want to look like every other star out there.

Remember that Hollywood stars have their bad days too and it takes a lot of glam, touch-ups, and even painful surgery before they can look the way they do. I encourage you to look in the mirror and instead of being discouraged and pointing out your flaws, point out the things you love about yourself.

If you have a fuller figure than be happy because you have shapely curves. If you have freckles don’t worry because it can actually add to your features and give you a unique look that is not often seen anymore. Remember you can always change what you want – but change it to the way that you want. Last week I gave up trying to look like every other star and I went to the hair salon and cut my hair short because I knew that I would love it and I knew that long hair would never look good on me. It was a great move, everyone loves it now, and I feel better and more beautiful than I have in weeks.

The first step to looking the way you want and feeling good about yourself is to accept that the way you look is beautiful no matter what society or the media tells us. So let’s all be different!