Image - is it everything

Why are we so hard on ourselves when we look in the mirror? Why do we always criticize everything that is wrong and never give ourselves credit for the awesome things that we have done to change? Is Image everything?

I hate my thighs! That is a fact and even though they are MUCH smaller than they used to be, all I see is how huge they are now! When do we really "see" the changes that we have worked so hard to make?

A friend of mine told me it takes MONTHS of actually looking at yourself before you see the "true" you staring back in the mirror. She says it is because we all have a visual image of what we looked like before, and the changes haven't taken over inside our "psyche" yet - the image of what we WERE permeates our being until we can actually see ourselves for the "who" we look like in the mirror now. What do you think, do you think it's possible?

Here's something interesting to know. How many of you equate our mental perceptions with our own images to what we grew up with as children? How about the image of "Barbie" the iconic doll - do/did little girls (and now women) aspire to be that same shape (of which we know is foolhardy or do we?). Here's something that dates back to 1965:

In 1965 Mattel came out with a “Slumber Party Barbie” that came complete with a bathroom scale permanently set at 110 pounds. The doll also came with a book entitled How to Lose Weight. And inside this book it gave the advice: “Don’t Eat”. The matching Ken doll also came with slumber party accessories, but his were milk and cookies, sending a very different message.

What do you think of that? There are (2) Barbie dolls sold every second somewhere in the world TODAY. Girls between the ages of 3 and 11 have on average 10 Barbie dolls in their possession. Are any of them the "right" size to what a normal woman would look like? We all know that isn't the case...

How does image play a part in self-esteem in today's society? I know in Europe they take a very different understanding of how they feel about themselves as I've seen some pictures of women in things I wouldn't wear with that body type wearing very revealing clothing. So is it the prudish people like me who might have immense pride and only see their faults?

I am unconvinced I am the only one who refuses to wear things that make them look awful. Why should I wear shorts when my fat hangs out of them and I feel disgusted at myself when I look in the mirror?

Is image everything? Do we put too much pressure on ourselves to try to reach, dare I say it, perfection that we know cannot be reached?

Thanks for listening....