Magazines can have a great impact on our lives, we see them
every day and they can make you think, “I want to look like that” or “I don’t
look like that so that must mean I’m imperfect” personally I think magazines
should show more women and men of all shapes, sizes and looks because why does
it matter if we aren’t a size 0 or a muscle man? The thing is, it doesn’t
matter but as it’s all we see on front covers and all over the media we think
that this must be the only acceptable way to look. Can beauty really be
defined?
Carly struggles with putting on weight she’s currently
underweight and the media don’t see this as beautiful, but she doesn’t let this
get to her like it did in the past. I talked to Carly to find out what impact
these magazines had on her life.
“I used to walk into a supermarket or just a small shop and
see that all the women on the front covers of the magazines were a lovely
healthy weight, not too fat, not too thin, with big breasts and perfect hair,
it kinda got to me because this image is everywhere, its seen as ‘the perfect
image’ the best way to look, but I realised it isn’t. After trying to make
myself look like these women and failing I just gave up, I talked about not
liking how I look with a few people, even doctors, it became quite a problem
wanting to look different and it made me feel really bad about myself, after
talking and realising that every ones different, and it’s good to be yourself,
everything picked up from there”.
“I started to eat healthy and this gave me so much energy,
the right food really makes you feel good, a few treats are acceptable here and
there though after all you’ve still got to enjoy yourself! I also started to
smile a lot more, even in the mirror at myself. I can’t stress enough how
important it is to love yourself, you’re you and you can’t change that, people
need to learn to embrace who they are and be happy! I’m still underweight but
I’m working on it and I’m not letting models and people who are in the media or
just people who I see around let me be unhappy about myself . It’s true when
people say beauty is on the inside, what if the prettiest woman in the world
was an awful person? Looks aren’t everything guys”
Andrew used to be unhappy about his weight and the way he
looked and this again was due to media and the way the perfect man is
portrayed. Muscly, great hair, skin and manly. This got to him and made him
depressed. This isn’t fair? And a lot of you probably feel the same but why
should you? These people are just like you, they’re happy and they are pleased
with how they look so why aren’t you? You’re your own person you can be and do
anything you want to!
“I’m really glad I realised that it doesn’t matter what
these people look like in magazines or on TV because they’re different people
to who I am? I’m not them? And just because I don’t have perfect skin or a
muscly body doesn’t mean that I’m a disgrace the way I am, which is what I used
to think. We look up to people in the media as we see them publicised every
day, they’re always in our eyes so what they look like sticks with us, which I
know now it shouldn’t but it does and it did. Being chubby or not looking like
the people in the media doesn’t change who you are on the inside, we are all
still the same people, and even if we did manage to look like them, what’s
changed? Nothing? Apart from appearance but does it really makes a difference
and solves our problems? No, if you really want to be happy I agree with Carly,
eat well, and be happy even exercise if you want to be fitter but don’t go to
extreme lengths and be disappointed if you don’t look like the people in
magazines. You can only be yourself and why waste time not being happy with who
you are? You can’t change who you are, and people will love you no matter what”
So can beauty really be defined? I don’t think it can, do
you? Beauty comes in all shapes, sizes and looks but we are all the same, we’re
all human. Embrace who you are and you will be happy, just like Carly and
Andrew, ignore the magazines and focus on you and your life, not anybody else’s
otherwise it might make you unhappy. Comparing yourself to others will get you
nowhere because as I’ve said, you’re your own person and you can be anyone
else. Beauty is in all of us even if you don’t realise that it is, but it is.
Beauty isn’t defined into any categories it’s everywhere and it’s in you!
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