Celebrating the Beauty of Diversity

Amy Taylor January 03, 2013

Ask a teenager to define the word ‘beautiful’ and you are likely to hear a name of a celebrity or a supermodel. Many people, especially the young ones, confine their thoughts about ‘perfection’ and ‘beauty’ with what they see in magazines – flooded with photos of tall, lean (should I say super thin?) and gorgeous-looking women. So when they look at their bodies, they start to hate what they see. That is, they feel ashamed.

I am not against the supermodels. What I am concerned about are the destructive effects of mass media to all of us. We cannot deny the fact that we are raised in a society that ingests lifestyle guide from TV shows and magazines. These forms of media repeatedly tell us what the ‘ideal’ beauty is – flawless body, flat stomach, long legs, etc. But sad to say, many people are exposing themselves to serious health risks as they strive to look like the stick figures in the magazine. So instead of using safer methods, they engage in crash diets, dangerous weight loss schemes, high-risk cosmetic procedures and unsafe beauty treatments.

Let’s take the case of weight loss – one of the top New Year’s resolutions in the world.

Many of us tend to buy books and magazines that will teach us how to lose weight at the shortest possible time. Nowadays, you’ll encounter alleged professional advices that tell you to stop eating carrots, pears and bananas because they are full of sugar and calories, instead, take this chemical-filled supplement, buy fizzy diet drinks and fill your stomach with low-calorie, salt-chocked frozen meals. No, thank you. I would rather eat fresh fruits and vegetables than let my liver, kidneys and heart suffer.

Not all Beauty Fads are Safe

Young people, who are at an irresponsible stage in their life, are often the victims of these ‘miracle’ diet fads. In a 2004 study, the Media Awareness Network estimates that 25% of college girls use unsafe weight control methods such as anorexia (starving oneself to death), bulimia (eating huge amounts of food and throwing them up), highly dangerous medications, and extreme diets and exercise regimens. These magazines often hook many people by featuring articles with big headlines saying “How to lose holiday fats”, “Lose weight in 10 days”, etc. Add the portrayal of thin women. I believe all these simply promote unhealthy dieting. What’s worse – there are people promoting smoking and excessive coffee drinking to stay thin.

Last week, Jo Swinson, a business minister has written to magazine editors, urging them to stop featuring irresponsible fad diets. “Any diet encouraging you to lose weight at a miracle speed or cutting out food groups, or skipping meals, any kind of these fab diets, actually can have negative health consequences" she said.

Rather than promoting quick-fix weight loss schemes, Swinson suggests magazine editors to "celebrate the beauty of diversity in body shape, skin colour, size and age".

Does that mean we shouldn’t attempt to lose weight or look better? Of course not! Being fit and lean is something every one of us looks forward to. We all want to look beautiful – to look our best. But this goal should be achieved in the healthiest, safest manner. Skipping meals, sticking to just one meal every day (such as cereals or protein shakes), or cutting out healthy foods are sure to help people become thin but in exchange of what? In exchange for their lives.

Dieting is about loving your body

For me, dieting is not about losing weight. It’s about building positive relationship with your body and taking good care of it. I think the reason why many people fail to achieve their New Year’s resolution to lose weight is that they always want to go with the easiest, quickest way. But health experts keep reminding us – making small, sustainable changes is the best way to attain fitness.

The same is true with all other aspects of beauty.

In western countries like Britain and America, the use of sunbeds is very popular, despite the fact that they cause skin cancer. Many people, especially women are investing huge amounts of money in skincare products, diet drinks and pills, and other artificially formulated beauty products. Some even undergo high-risk surgery just to make themselves look exactly like what they see in the magazines. But I think all these things aren’t really necessary at all.

Why? It’s because there’s beauty in diversity. It doesn’t matter what your colour is, what your size or age is. We are all beautiful right from the start. By loving your body and taking care of it, you are making yourself more beautiful each and every day.

Dear Readers,

How important is it for you as a therapist to advocate diversity and inner beauty? Is there a way we can promote this more?

Share your comments below!