I was talking with Hanni about the destructive nature of guilt and negative personal image that we all fall into and must evolve beyond. She reminisced about high school. She and her friends were obsessed with the scale and, at 110 pounds; they thought if they could just weigh ten pounds less or lose one more inch from their waists, they would attain perfection. I recalled a recent news article about the fascination girls today have with something called “thigh gap”. If you stand in front of the mirror and your knees touch but your thighs don’t, apparently you have it and it is a good thing. This trend is driving eating disorders to new highs among teen girls.
I mentioned a recent video I had seen, sponsored by Dove. I was impressed with the idea that this corporate entity is taking the time to address an issue that is rampant in society today – women’s image of themselves, and how detrimental this is to attaining happiness. The link is here and I encourage everyone, male or female to watch.
From there I worked through my day and found myself in a discussion with “Wilson” about our two favorite TV shows as kids; “I Dream of Jeannie” and “Bewitched.” Both featured strong women who fit the stereotype of blond and gorgeous. And both had supernatural powers that could change the world with a twitch. Jeannie simply crossed her arms, gave a blink and a nod, Samantha wiggled her nose.
What perfect, 1960’s role models. Both had meddlesome relatives; and mere mortal, husbands who were submerged in their careers. They each were attempting to live the life of a suburban housewife with perfect, clean homes. We all wanted the ability to twitch and change the world.
Growing up my perfect female image was a tall, lanky California girl with straight blond hair and giant, blue eyes. It has taken many years, but now when I catch sight of my reflection, I no longer cringe at the woman with wild, curly brown hair whose brown eyes are narrow slits when she is smiling. How do I pass that knowledge on?
Therapeutic Misadventures 