Everyone who has ever hated how they looked in the mirror... watch this.

[Panth]

http://www.boardsmag.com/screeningroom/commercials/3421/

And so many of us have spent so long wondering why this product or that treatment never made us look as good as the girl in the advert... And hating and berating ourselves for it. I see it a lot here - I hate my hair, I hate how I look, etc., etc.

Please, watch it. Then, if you have any young female friends/relatives, show them this. In fact, show every woman you can think of. It'll make us all feel that bit better about ourselves.

(Mods - apologies if this is in the wrong section!)

[Sundial]

Amazing! It's 1 thing to hear about it and it's something else entirely to actually see it happening

[Panth]

Mmm, I was particularly freaked out by the photoshop bits. You never notice how her long, swan-like neck is totally un-natural. Until you see it being stretched in a photo-edinting suite.

I'm particularly pleased to note that her complexion is at least as uneven and blotchy as mine is. *evil grin*

[Vorvolaka]

I remember seeing something similar a while ago. I was totally shocked.

[YesitsReal]

I've always loved this video. It helped me to see just how fake the ad/TV/modeling industry really is.

[milagro]

Cool video!
The ironic thing is there's plenty of women no less beautiful, in real life... :)

[Nusia82]

the first time i saw that video i was like " i can't belive it" .... and then " maybe i can look so cute too".....

[ladydiane818]

I've shown that video to many, many people. You can't trust any photo you see in a magazine, catalog or on a billboard or anywhere in print. None of it is real!

[mrsbob]

Great video - I've seen it before, but it's always a good reminder! NOBODY is perfect.

[selderon]

Wow! That's essentially what I do when I paint digitally. I had no idea the models in ads look so much like the pretty girl next door until they're stretched and shrunk into perfect proportions. Here I thought it was all makeup and digital color corrections!

[nellreno]

There is definitely a lot of work going into ads for cosmetics and clothes. That doesn't really change what I see in the mirror though.

[spidermom]

I wish I could photo-shop myself before anybody sees me in real life. haha

[HintOfMint]

It's a great video, and definitely necessary for many women and girls.

However, my insecurities never came from magazine advertisements. The most beautiful women and girls I've ever seen were those in real life, from classmates to RAs and while it's easy to just write off "unreasonable standards of beauty" to photoshopped images, it's hard not to feel insecure when there's real-life-flesh-and-blood beauty sitting next to you in your poli sci class. Unphotoshopped and all.

The video is a good first step to addressing female insecurities about looks but I think that more needs to be done in questioning why looks are so important to women in the first place and how damaging it is to compare ourselves to other people, whether it is a magazine model or the literal girl-next-door. There is always going to be someone who is prettier, and not everyone is pretty, but it's only one part of us. What is it about beauty that feels like it's a right being denied to us, instead of just another characteristic?

I'm not hating on the post or the video at all, I just want to start a dialogue.

[Avital88]

i understand the message of the video, but i actually never compare myself to images in magazines. More to girls in real life, and there are a lot of girls out there that look waayy better then me without photoshop so the pressure will always be there.

[Avital88]

It's a great video, and definitely necessary for many women and girls.

However, my insecurities never came from magazine advertisements. The most beautiful women and girls I've ever seen were those in real life, from classmates to RAs and while it's easy to just write off "unreasonable standards of beauty" to photoshopped images, it's hard not to feel insecure when there's real-life-flesh-and-blood beauty sitting next to you in your poli sci class. Unphotoshopped and all.

The video is a good first step to addressing female insecurities about looks but I think that more needs to be done in questioning why looks are so important to women in the first place and how damaging it is to compare ourselves to other people, whether it is a magazine model or the literal girl-next-door. There is always going to be someone who is prettier, and not everyone is pretty, but it's only one part of us. What is it about beauty that feels like it's a right being denied to us, instead of just another characteristic?

I'm not hating on the post or the video at all, I just want to start a dialogue.



This was actually what i was meaning to say, but didnt read the whole post yet..

[Avital88]

But there are probably many women who look up to ourselfs too why we dont even know it.. so the viscious cycle keeps on going like that.
Its just ridiculous how important looks are for a woman in this society..
It makes me feel nervous and insecure but on days i feel good about myself i feel save.
Such a weird thing.. it should be more about good heart than good looks,although i do think the good person inside you shines through,but its something else than beauty more kind of an aura or energy.

[HintOfMint]

But there are probably many women who look up to ourselfs too why we dont even know it.. so the viscious cycle keeps on going like that.
Its just ridiculous how important looks are for a woman in this society..
It makes me feel nervous and insecure but on days i feel good about myself i feel save.
Such a weird thing.. it should be more about good heart than good looks,although i do think the good person inside you shines through,but its something else than beauty more kind of an aura or energy.

Inner beauty is something I definitely believe in. I've met women who were not conventionally beautiful. It didn't matter, they were happy and sought after. They had something about them that made people want to be around them, whether it was stunning intelligence, kindness, or a wicked sense of humor.

Also, I've been told that, when I'm happy, I glow.

PS, I'm not just saying this, but I saw your album and holy shnikes, you're beautiful! As in, you could be in a magazine, beautiful.

[telegraph64]

Although I understand it is hurtful to perception of beauty, especially in the younger generation, if only more people would understand accept the fact that it is simply a picture.
I myself truly appreciate the art of make-up, however photoshop is where it is taken too far. The ad would have been just as beautiful without the photoshop re-touching.

[ElusiveMuse]

I am so torn on this issue.

On one hand, heck yes I love to see the mystery revealed so that women will perhaps pause before comparing themselves to models in ads. (Um...I try not to think about runway models who really are that perfect...)

But mostly I just get angry that in our culture we are made to feel that another woman's beauty somehow diminishes one's own, or even one's own worth as a person. It is such a divide and conquer strategy and we fall for it. Well...I think women have been starting to recognize and fight against it.

But woman against woman, especially for something like beauty, makes me so sad. I LOVE my woman friends and once I started being aware of my sort of pang of guilt, sadness, insecurity, and competitiveness, I could question it and it turns out, I have nothing to fear from other beautiful women and now I can look at them and appreciate how beautiful they are, the same way I would appreciate any other beauty I see.

What I think is so important about this video is that it reminds us of how women are taught to be insecure about their looks, compare themselves to other women, and feel guilty and sad when they are somehow lacking so they will focus their energy on improving. This video shows us that sometimes we are chasing a complete fiction. But I also hope women will realize they have nothing to fear, they lose nothing, when other women really are that beautiful.

[ElvenArchess]

One of my beliefs is that there is beauty in everything, and I've learned to disregard the false beauty set forth by marketing pros and product companies; this didn't surprise me at all. To them beauty has to fit into a certain category with a certain weight, height, "look"... it's all too much "perfection." I have a large attraction toward girls who wear minimal makeup or none at all and are confident happy with the way they appear.

This actually reminds me of an article I saw online about the unnecessary Photoshopping of Katy Perry on a magazine cover, here's the picture before and after: http://www.theatlanticwire.com/images/static/045012_tumblr_lfyfv2AcCs1qfkbn1o1_400.gif

It's ridiculous, she's perfectly fine before they edit it, but Fate forbid she have any flaws...

[HintOfMint]

But mostly I just get angry that in our culture we are made to feel that another woman's beauty somehow diminishes one's own, or even one's own worth as a person. It is such a divide and conquer strategy and we fall for it. Well...I think women have been starting to recognize and fight against it.

But woman against woman, especially for something like beauty, makes me so sad. I LOVE my woman friends and once I started being aware of my sort of pang of guilt, sadness, insecurity, and competitiveness, I could question it and it turns out, I have nothing to fear from other beautiful women and now I can look at them and appreciate how beautiful they are, the same way I would appreciate any other beauty I see.

What I think is so important about this video is that it reminds us of how women are taught to be insecure about their looks, compare themselves to other women, and feel guilty and sad when they are somehow lacking so they will focus their energy on improving. This video shows us that sometimes we are chasing a complete fiction. But I also hope women will realize they have nothing to fear, they lose nothing, when other women really are that beautiful.


I agree with this wholeheartedly. LHC should have a "like" button.

[Wavelength]

I opted out of the whole conventional beauty thing awhile ago. I guess some women would see that as "being lazy" and "giving up", but I don't really care. I like being able to think about clothing in terms of function (is this sweater warm?) rather than how attractive I'll look in it.

I watched the Emma Thompson video and thought, "Huh, I do that anyway. You mean most people don't?"

I do a few things to look reasonable, like I'll wear a bit of concealer over a pimple, and I'll remove any annoying little hairs that like to pop up around my chin. But I just think of that as basic good grooming. I wouldn't go out with tangled hair and ragged pyjamas either.

Plus, I'm 42 and let's face it, there's a ton of younger, thinner, and prettier women out there. If I was worried about "competition", I'd be worried a lot! But I know my husband loves me and my friends are true friends, and I'm old enough to not care about anything else. Besides, I can, for whatever reason, attract much younger guys just as I am. I don't understand it (see above, re: tons of more attractive younger women out there), and I definitely don't flirt with them, but there it is.

I ask my younger husband about it occasionally (he's 26 now), but all the answer I get from him is "Because you're wonderful!" Which doesn't really tell me anything specific, but it's nice to hear anyway. ;)

ETA: I think part of the reason is because I'm an unabashed gamer, and I've always preferred talking to guys over girls. So I talk to guys comfortably as intelligent people who share my interests, not as if they're trophies or status symbols, or as if they're some weird alien creature with only half a brain. (I've met women who treat guys like that, and it's just, eww.)

[RitaCeleste]

Cute. If I could choose to appear beautiful, I would simply because beautiful people are treated better. I'd also choose not to ever see myself as beautiful because I really wouldn't want it to go to my head. You can say what you want, if you are scarred or disfigured the world is very cruel place. People really can be jerks. I wonder if the people who are beautiful on the outside have a clue how absolutely ugly some people are on the inside? I think maybe if you tend to bring out the best in people, you don't have clue who has issues and who doesn't. I guess its okay looking like I look. I'm average enough people tend to be themselves around me and I usually have a pretty good idea of who they really are.

[Firefox7275]

That is every kind of awesome.

[selderon]

This actually reminds me of an article I saw online about the unnecessary Photoshopping of Katy Perry on a magazine cover, here's the picture before and after: http://www.theatlanticwire.com/images/static/045012_tumblr_lfyfv2AcCs1qfkbn1o1_400.gif

It's ridiculous, she's perfectly fine before they edit it, but Fate forbid she have any flaws...

...or actual skin texture. LOL! I can see why they warmed up the lighting, but the rest serves no purpose but to create an unnecessary illusion of glamor.

[Firefox7275]

I
I ask my younger husband about it occasionally (he's 26 now), but all the answer I get from him is "Because you're wonderful!" Which doesn't really tell me anything specific, but it's nice to hear anyway. ;)

ETA: I think part of the reason is because I'm an unabashed gamer, and I've always preferred talking to guys over girls. So I talk to guys comfortably as intelligent people who share my interests, not as if they're trophies or status symbols, or as if they're some weird alien creature with only half a brain. (I've met women who treat guys like that, and it's just, eww.)

To me that can be a form of flirting but NOT a fake/ knowing/ sexual flirt, but just enjoying the moment and the company you keep. Flirting with life I guess? :) There are a lot of switched on younger guys whose interest is piqued by the whole package - from being comfortable in your own skin to controversial opinions based on knowledge and experience. :D

[elbow chic]

Cute. If I could choose to appear beautiful, I would simply because beautiful people are treated better. I'd also choose not to ever see myself as beautiful because I really wouldn't want it to go to my head.

You can say what you want, if you are scarred or disfigured the world is very cruel place. People really can be jerks. I wonder if the people who are beautiful on the outside have a clue how absolutely ugly some people are on the inside? I think maybe if you tend to bring out the best in people, you don't have clue who has issues and who doesn't..

Yup, I agree. It's kind of like how *everyone* is nice to the boss, but the wimpy subordinate sees how they REALLY are... and that mostly, it's not pretty. :cool:

[elbow chic]

anyway, yeah. Great video.

The pictures you see in ads are of of exceptionally beautiful, well-kept women under exceptionally flattering lighting in exceptionally flattering makeup and exceptionally expensive clothing... taken by exceptionally talented photographers using state-of-the-art equipment...

and then, only THEN do the professional digital enhancements start! ;)

[DuckyDot]

Scary! The 'finished woman' doesn't even exist they changed the image so much!!

[Ineedmorehair]

One of my beliefs is that there is beauty in everything, and I've learned to disregard the false beauty set forth by marketing pros and product companies; this didn't surprise me at all. To them beauty has to fit into a certain category with a certain weight, height, "look"... it's all too much "perfection." I have a large attraction toward girls who wear minimal makeup or none at all and are confident happy with the way they appear.

This actually reminds me of an article I saw online about the unnecessary Photoshopping of Katy Perry on a magazine cover, here's the picture before and after: http://www.theatlanticwire.com/images/static/045012_tumblr_lfyfv2AcCs1qfkbn1o1_400.gif

It's ridiculous, she's perfectly fine before they edit it, but Fate forbid she have any flaws...

In her case, this is the photoshop of the photoshop. OR the photoshop after 5 hours of thick makeup application. There is plenty photos of her online minus her makeup and she is a true example of a normal human being going from the plainest average to a true 10.

[summerjade]

Thanks for sharing the video! Nice to see what they actually do to the photos!! I don't feel so bad about my looks now!!

[lapushka]

There is plenty photos of her online minus her makeup and she is a true example of a normal human being going from the plainest average to a true 10.

Plain? Average? I happen to think she's a beautiful girl being her natural self. A little make-up would have been enough for a real ad. The flat, plastic doll they turned her into, I consider far from beautiful. They went way too far photoshopping her. Meh... maybe I have different standards. :shrug:

[Ineedmorehair]

Plain? Average? I happen to think she's a beautiful girl being her natural self. A little make-up would have been enough for a real ad. The flat, plastic doll they turned her into, I consider far from beautiful. They went way too far photoshopping her. Meh... maybe I have different standards. :shrug:

Yeah, I know, we're all beautiful in someone's eyes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that, I agree with that :). Like I said before, the photoshoped image is basically of a picture taken after she'd already spent hours in the makeup chair to look that way. So they adjusted the looks of a person that had already been tampered with makeup wise. That's the thing, you see, "they" didn't turn her into anything. This is the type of image she wants to portray. She is a natural blonde, with splotchy, reddish, pimply skin and super thin lips. She wasn't happy with this so she became what she thought was 'attractive' in her head. I don't think there is anything wrong with it, and it's worked for her. She's talented, tall-ish and has an amazing body, why not fix the head to go with it? It's all about the image. She poses no threat to anyone's self esteem though, because I think most people now know about photoshop, and she herself does not hide the fact that her skin is quite imperfect in real life, and that without makeup she barely resembles the finished product you see in pictures.

In any case, I agree with some of the posters in that it's the real life people/beauties that you may see every day that make most people self conscious about themselves, not the ones in the magazines or on TV.

[maborosi]

I love this.

Also to people who talk about 'real-life beauties'. I'm often amazed and slightly sickened by people swooning over a girl who has done an unbelievable amount of work (IE- Plastic surgery at 17, I know many girls who have had it done) and go off on "why can't most girls be like that", and "she is like a natural beauty" or "her (insert feature here) is like soooo amazing!". It's not just photos in the magazine- girls who are "blessed" with surgery screw up the standard of beauty and almost normalize it. It's one thing if you have asymmetry, serious deformities, or something like that- but I know girls who were so young, and just "wanted bigger breasts or a better nose"- and went under the knife. UGH.

Nothing natural about implanting silicone into your body just to make someone like you. I cannot stand the sight of it, because many people don't realize that perfection does not exist, and striving for it is...a fruitless endeavor.

Take real care of your body- a healthy body is a beautiful one. I can guarantee that many of these models and actresses are anything but- and without the magic of photoshop and plastic surgery- they'd look like the girl next door.

~maborosi~

[Avital88]

Inner beauty is something I definitely believe in. I've met women who were not conventionally beautiful. It didn't matter, they were happy and sought after. They had something about them that made people want to be around them, whether it was stunning intelligence, kindness, or a wicked sense of humor.

Also, I've been told that, when I'm happy, I glow.

PS, I'm not just saying this, but I saw your album and holy shnikes, you're beautiful! As in, you could be in a magazine, beautiful.


Yes ,happy glows work on everybody!
And thanks a lot for the compliment!



Another thing i usually feel bad about, is that a lot of people think that when you are beautiful or better looking than normal standards you're automatically fake or must be not such a nice person,a plastic barbie or even a B&#$h.
So i dont agree with someone saying here that beautiful people get treated better because that so isnt always the case.
It can also work against you ,example: applying for jobs or trying to make new friends..alot of jealousy.
I know a lot of so called 'ugly' people who have the best personalities ,but also alot of them are ugly inside and out..so it definitely is all about a good heart to me.

[elbow chic]

I love this.

Also to people who talk about 'real-life beauties'. I'm often amazed and slightly sickened by people swooning over a girl who has done an unbelievable amount of work (IE- Plastic surgery at 17, I know many girls who have had it done)

Yep. An early nose job can turn a fairly average-looking girl into something really striking, and is pretty much undetectable.

Braces, too-- I had braces as a teen and now my smile is a lot "nicer" than my natural one would have been.

A lot of times I hear guys talking about some chick's "scary grill" but I'm like, eh, but for the fortunate accident of my parents' insurance picking up the bill, there go I!

Anyway, sometimes I like to check out paintings of bygone beauties. Sissi? Still a pretty girl, sure, and by the standards of her day a true beauty.

Now? she probably wouldn't be able to get a job modeling for the Sears catalog. ;)

[pinchbeck]

Thanks for sharing. But despite the adjustments, there are women who actually are naturally gorgeous and don't need any help out there because I have seen them! It is too bad we cannot differentiate between the photoshopped women vs. the ones who haven't bee photoshopped - it is a rip off for those who aren't!

[pinchbeck]

It's a great video, and definitely necessary for many women and girls.

However, my insecurities never came from magazine advertisements. The most beautiful women and girls I've ever seen were those in real life, from classmates to RAs and while it's easy to just write off "unreasonable standards of beauty" to photoshopped images, it's hard not to feel insecure when there's real-life-flesh-and-blood beauty sitting next to you in your poli sci class. Unphotoshopped and all..I admire your honesty. What can also be hard is when you see pretty women on forums who constantly get told they're pretty by everyone whereas the not so pretty women get told nothing.

I wonder if this has any type of negative impact on self image for those of us who fall into the not so pretty category.

[pinchbeck]

Check out what a man wrote me on an online dating site. This is copied and pasted:

Me: It's is interesting how our dialogue went from a few words, down to two word, and then down to one word! I suppose what's to follow is zero words. lol

Him: Well, I like sparkling eyes, full/soft lips, long/soft hair on a curvy/romantic woman

Now how would any woman feel who does NOT have his list of requirements? Well, I am off now to go get collagen injections in my small mouth, have my eyes stretched, and add a chest to my frame. Well, at least I look okay from behind! lol

I wonder if the media is also having an effect on what men are supposed to think is beautiful?

[pepperminttea]

She's talented, tall-ish and has an amazing body, why not fix the head to go with it?

See, this is what worries me about the "beauty" industry. People don't need fixing. Period. Persuading them that they do by making them feel insecure and worthless, and making money out of that misery? They make insurance companies look moral.

[freckles]

I think the video is pretty cool in and of itself, but -- it's still part of a marketing campaign on behalf of a company whose mandate is to sell products to people on the basis that they need the products to be properly beautiful. That a little disingenuous, if hugely successful and totally brilliant. And they also pushed the "real women have curves" sentiment pretty strongly (yuck).

Like I say, I like the video. I wish it had been a non-commercially-affiliated feelgood message, and then I would have felt better (when it originally came out) spreading it around. :shrug:

[HintOfMint]

I'm reading through this thread and I'm going to have to be even more honest. Reading this thread is hard for me because when we discuss beauty it's easy for me to fall into a self-pity spiral and beat myself up over my looks when I swore I would never do that again.

Here's the story. I've always been down on my looks and my last boyfriend and another boy who claimed to have been in love with me for the last 3 years liked to keep me insecure about my looks to keep me close to them. I'm rid of them both finally. (For the record, I was not romantically/sexually involved with the latter, so I did not cheat on my now former boyfriend with him).

Then I came to grad school and I met someone who just knocked my socks off, let's call him Mr. A. He became a good friend while I harbored a crush on him. I figured that, because he's the kind of guy who can get any girl he wants, I'm not pretty enough for him. And it's really astounding how many women just throw themselves at him, as if their g-strings were literal slingshots.

It turns out that Mr. A had feelings for me the entire time. I'm not the prettiest girl on campus, but of all the girls he could have had, he wanted me. Girls would talk about how he's cocky and flirtatious but around me he was sweet and even shy. We are choosing to remain friends for now, for several reasons that I won't go into here. And for the record, we've never even kissed.

Reading through this thread makes me realize how important looks are to so many of us, and how it has this incredible power to get us down. When we're unhappy, romantically or otherwise, it's the easiest thing to blame.

But my point is that, I am SICK of feeling down on myself for my looks. I'm not going to walk around pretending I'm a 10, but I'm not going to beat myself up thinking I'm a 3. Maybe it shouldn't have taken an absurdly handsome man's attention to make me shut up and feel good about myself, but now that I finally am okay in my skin, I'm NEVER going back to feeling insecure.

Like I said, I'm not the prettiest girl on campus by any stretch of the imagination. But when Mr. A and I take study breaks to have tea in our pajamas and talk about quantum physics and he blushes when I touch his hand... well... the so-called conventional standard of beauty can shove it.

[muppetcrayz]

I think that's an interesting video, but it doesn't really discourage body image issues- it's basically saying 'even though this is what has to happen for her to be 'good enough' for us, you need to do the same to be 'pretty''

[telegraph64]

Well if they can find something on someone's body that is possible for you to dislike, they will develop a "product" that says it'll get rid of it for you. Soon, they'll be advertising something to get rid of cleft chins, too.

[skaempfer]

I don't suppose there is a YouTube version of this video? My ipad won't play flash and you all have made me curious. Sounds like something my daughters should see, too.

[enfys]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omBfg3UwkYM

There you go!


I don't suppose there is a YouTube version of this video? My ipad won't play flash and you all have made me curious. Sounds like something my daughters should see, too.

ETA: I almost feel like I can't comment on this since it's essentially going to be my industry; graphic design. I think nothing of all the things they do and have done them myself (amateurishly; that module is in the third year :p). However. I don't do it to myself. In my photos, I use a flash because I live in a dull country. That's about it! I don't warp my face. I don't much like it either; I don't believe it if people compliment me. The big change for me came when I burned my face a year ago. The burns were quite minor and healed without scarring, but since then I have learnt to love my face. It's not something I take for granted any more. Now to work on the rest of the body!

[squiggyflop]

im not surprised at all.. i know how to do all of those photoshop tricks.. *shrug*.. im generally the person people call for editing their pictures. when i do pictures of myself i generally just play around making myself a zombie or something.. im usually too lazy to beautify myself more than just removing a pimple.. come on who doesnt want to see themselves as a zombie?

[skaempfer]

Wow, thanks Enfys.
Squiggyflop, I prefer myself with antanae. :cheese:

Scary commercial. It ought to be a law that the original of all these is on public file somewhere. Wishful thought of the week, I guess.

[Sweetie]

thank you for this thread - I love the video, and I guess it perfectly shows how fake the whole beauty thing is.
thank you again

[Unofficial_Rose]

Another thing i usually feel bad about, is that a lot of people think that when you are beautiful or better looking than normal standards you're automatically fake or must be not such a nice person,a plastic barbie or even a B&#$h.
So i dont agree with someone saying here that beautiful people get treated better because that so isnt always the case.
It can also work against you ,example: applying for jobs or trying to make new friends..alot of jealousy.


Yes, I agree with that. Beautiful people are subjected to a lot of resentment from certain types, and also, sometimes the people who are nice to them - well, it's just because they want something. Which they then turn nasty if they fail to get. Or people assume they're stupid.

For real-life natural beauty, the city I'm working now has more than I've ever seen. (NB: It's not London, for once). And you can bet that no-one's had plastic surgery. They're young though, and well-off/educated, for the most part.

[Ineedmorehair]

See, this is what worries me about the "beauty" industry. People don't need fixing. Period. Persuading them that they do by making them feel insecure and worthless, and making money out of that misery? They make insurance companies look moral.

I agree with you, but at the same time I seriously doubt she'd have the same effect on her fans if she didn't look the way she does. Really, people have been improving themselves for EEEVER with makeup and things, it's just the way it is. She's in entertainment, where looking/being the cream of the crop is a necessity. I'm plain looking but I LOVE looking at pretty people in magazines. I hate magazines or reports where they point out some model's butt dimples. I want to see pretty things, if I wanted to see imperfection I'll check out my own behind in the mirror, thank you. To each's own I guess.

[ElvenArchess]

Well if they can find something on someone's body that is possible for you to dislike, they will develop a "product" that says it'll get rid of it for you. Soon, they'll be advertising something to get rid of cleft chins, too.
I wonder if they'll make a product that will make me grow elf ears! n.n <3 Now that I would not object to.

[hanne jensen]

Absolutely horrible!

Here in Denmark, Dove uses real women for their commercials. Every 6 months or so, Dove advertises for ladies of all ages shapes and sizes to try out for their next ad campaign. And, they pick skinny ladies, fat ladies, young ladies, grandmas etc. Real people. Hopefully this is a trend that will catch on for other companies and in magazines.

[Fethenwen]

What a great discussion we are having here :)

Yeah, it's a shame that we women keep comparing ourselves to others all the time and feel insecure about our looks.
I knew a person who can't be around a person that I know because she gets so jealous and feels that this person is getting all the attention from the guys :rolleyes:
It's really a shame, where has our sisterhood gone? I also admit that I used to be very jealous of other girls looks when I was younger, it really took up a lot of energy :p Thank goodness I'm more content with my looks today, though not as content as I would like I think.

There was a very good documentary about this whole 'girls in magazines' issue that I watched a few months ago and it really blew my mind. The beauty industry is just horrible! It's just insane what people will do nowadays in the name of beauty!

:justy:

[Charlotte:)]

Wow, this whole thread makes me think of the song "Swanheart" :) Anyways, I saw this video a couple years ago and stopped wearing makeup because of it. I agree that our perception of beauty is distorted, and although most people seem to disagree with me, I think people look more beautiful as their natural selves. How could I have been so blind all those years before I saw this???

That being said, I don't have anything against people wearing makeup and stuff. It's sort on an artistic way a lot of people express themselves, and there is nothing wrong with that. I just don't think our society should set standards as to what counts as beautiful and what doesn't.

[ange1ito]

Yes ,happy glows work on everybody!
And thanks a lot for the compliment!



Another thing i usually feel bad about, is that a lot of people think that when you are beautiful or better looking than normal standards you're automatically fake or must be not such a nice person,a plastic barbie or even a B&#$h.
So i dont agree with someone saying here that beautiful people get treated better because that so isnt always the case.
It can also work against you ,example: applying for jobs or trying to make new friends..alot of jealousy.
I know a lot of so called 'ugly' people who have the best personalities ,but also alot of them are ugly inside and out..so it definitely is all about a good heart to me.

That's soo true about people stereotyping you into being a horrid person when they perceive you as stunning, it's almost like they can't deal with you being nice lol, being good looking does'nt always give you advantages, sometimes you get devalued by people for it.

I like the video too, its real for a change :)

[Arya]

Ahh, Unilever. Making white chicks feel better since 2006. Too bad they still sell caustic skin whiteners that can leave you with terrible burns to women of colour.

[EmmyNemmy]

Oh, wow.
That's powerful.

[wandlimb]

All of a sudden, I feel better about myself....

[Tatybird]

It's a very good video especially for young ladies. Very often we are uncomfortable with the way we look; some more, some less. It is nice when you have your family teaching you to appreciate and love yourself the way you are from your childhood. But unfortunately, not every family gives a child that support. And even if it does sometimes it's not enough. So great video to remind yourself that everyone is pretty in his/her way. Actually, you should work on not just your appearance but on your inner beauty as well.
A very good approach by Dove:)

[Tefnut]

I do modeling, and i can tell ya i certainly look different before makeup/hair is done and photoshop haha. I'll do you a comparison pic...

[Tefnut]

Here ya go, natural me without make up and hairs a mess and then glam. me with hair and make up done with a good dose of photoshop :)http://a1.l3-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/132/84d2629ed3fa44809c0364b7d6b0ffd2/l.jpg

[triumphator!]

Really, people have been improving themselves for EEEVER with makeup and things, it's just the way it is. She's in entertainment, where looking/being the cream of the crop is a necessity.

Right, but when I put on foundation and contour my face with bronzer to make my cheek bones stand out, I still look 99% recognizable from the person I was before applying powder. I don't stretch my neck upwards an extra two inches from normal or make my eyes twice as large.

You can't say that photoshopping people into pictures where they look 20% of who they used to be is okay just because they have to be pretty to make money. The necessity of looking/being the cream of the crop is not okay just because it makes money.

While you may gloss over these feelings, young women everywhere see these images and hear the criticism of model's butt dimples and take it to heart, because being female means being measured physically. And when gorgeous models get criticized for their butt dimples, young girls go look in the mirror and see far more than butt dimples, because they don't get photoshopped into oblivion on a regular basis.

It's like all they really needed was the shape of a face to start with, and then they took it from there. That's almost dehumanizing.

[Chetanlaiho]

I think this was used in a commercial here a while back, it's really weird to see how much they change O_o

[tigr]

young women everywhere see these images and hear the criticism of model's butt dimples and take it to heart, because being female means being measured physically.
Exactly. This is why I find it so disturbing. I remember my friends and I talking as teenagers about "cottage cheese thighs". We must have read that term in a magazine. Having once heard that term, I could not view my thighs as positively as I had before I heard it. Many years later, I read something where a man referred to his wife's thighs as "dimpled", and I loved that term. It describes exactly the same thing, but in a much kinder, more loving and cuter way.



It's like all they really needed was the shape of a face to start with, and then they took it from there. That's almost dehumanizing.Dehumanizing is a good word for it.

[tigr]

Here ya go, natural me without make up and hairs a mess and then glam. me with hair and make up done with a good dose of photoshop :)
Wow! What a difference!

[racrane]

I've seen this video before and I really like it. It's honest. Anyway, I'm an actor and I can certainly tell you I look completely different onstage vs. normal life. I wear thick makeup, usually a wig, sometimes a corset (seriously) or spanx and of course my costumes. I've grown to accept the differences between the two. But it's easy for people to think I look like that in real life. Of course not!