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Not Average

I saw this this morning:



It's lovely. I found myself weeping. Of course, that shouldn't come as any kind of surprise...

We are so terribly brutal to women in our society. There are some things going on in my life that have caused me to think about this, and it just makes me feel absolutely gutted to think about. Why should anyone, but any woman in particular, struggle with self-image issues? Why?

Not smart enough.
Not pretty enough.
Not kind, good, or loving enough.
Face is too round.
Face isn't round enough.
Hair too long. No, too short.
Eyes the wrong color. Or shape. Or whatever.
Not funny enough.
Not tall enough.
Not fast, strong, or clever enough.
Not feminine enough.
Too girly.
Too fat. Too skinny.
Legs too long. Legs not long enough.
Too heavy-chested.
Not big enough breasted.
Breasts too saggy.
Lips too small.
Teeth too big.
Wrong smell.
Too much smell.
Wrong clothes.
Right clothes - wrong body.
Wrong hair color. Hair style. Sloppy, dirty, or unkempt looking.

Ugh. It breaks my heart. It just breaks my heart.

Because, what can one man do against such an onslaught? However well-intentioned, my voice gets lost in a veritable sea of opposing ideas, causing the women I love SO MUCH to drown in a tide of self-doubt. I wait for her to bob back up to the top, which I know she will.

My only hope is that she will always feel my hand around hers, even when the waves surround her and threaten to destroy her. Her warm, sweet, gentle, trusting hand in mine, waiting for the time when the waves recede and she can see her beauty for what I've always known it to be.

Comments

Bill Cobabe said…
PS - Here's an interesting article on the phenomenon.

http://www.clubofamsterdam.com/contentarticles/52%20Beauty/dove_white_paper_final.pdf
April 9, 2015 at 6:46 AM
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