We are all fearfully and wonderfully made
Posted by The Skyliner on October 21st, 2009Amy Skaggs
Staff Writer
Every day through television, the Internet, and the radio, Americans are bombarded with thousands of images about why their bodies are not good enough. From watching tiny girls on reality television shows winning the competitions to the latest fad diet, it seems impossible to see oneself as beautiful.
These negative issues can cause someone to not look at their body as what it is as a whole, but each independent issue—focusing on one flaw until it is believed to be so distracting from the rest of the body that the whole image is ruined.
This mentality can cause a severe drop in self-esteem, depression and unhealthy dieting habits that can actually dig people deeper into their body image issues.
Women are shown that beauty is only found when they are blemish free, have 2 percent body fat and have perfect, long silky hair. When looking in the mirror, it is difficult to find the perfection that is being forced upon them.
This is not limited to only females. Males can also be influenced by negative self-esteem. Males in the media are portrayed to be ripped, hairless and glistening (not sweating) when they play basketball. Anything other than this is portrayed as unattractive and gross.
It does not have to be this way. It will be extremely difficult to change how the media portrays perfection. Companies make a large amount of money out of the self-loathing that they cause by funding these commercials that force the ideals. However, it will be simpler to change the way we view these images.
When I was younger, I had difficulty with realizing that this is not what real people look like.
I read an article explaining what our bodies really do for us, and it changed my perspective.
Maybe you do not like the way your legs look. With a campus made of hills like North Greenville, those legs do a lot of work. They hold your body upright, they carry you where you want to go. How is it fair for us to criticize them for a minor imperfection when they work so hard for our basic needs?
Maybe you don’t appreciate how your hair looks (or how much you have). Human hair does many things to assist the body. Your eyebrows keep too much light from entering your eyes and protect them from being irritated by too much sweat or water.
Other hair protects the body in other ways, to keep the good stuff inside your body and keep the bad stuff out. The hair on your head serves to protect your brain from damage and infection. If the scalp gets a nasty gash, the hair can help keep foreign matter out of the wound.
If we can appreciate our body for what it does for us, and what God created it to do, it will be much easier to appreciate ourselves and our beauty, for we are God’s creation and we are made in His image. What gives us the right to decide what is beautiful?
He clearly states that every last one of us is beautiful–no matter our size, our color, how much money we can afford to spend on the latest clothes, or what lumps and bumps are where. We are all wonderfully and fearfully made. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says “God makes everything beautiful.” Who are we to say anything contrary?
Tags: Fall 2009, Vol. 109 - Issue 6
Great Article Amy!