The main reason we don't accept our bodies is the social pressure that pushes us to be what others would like to see. Along this journey we learn to belittle ourselves and even to mistreat ourselves, because we do not reflect the canons of the gaze of others.
Last update: April 10, 2020
One of the effects of worshiping a specific model of beauty is that we end up doubting ourselves and not accepting our bodies. Marrying the dangerous idea of ​​having to be physically perfect in order to be appreciated or to prove our worth, it is easy to experience one of the most useless sufferings in life: not accepting oneself.
Certainly today there are many people in the world who value others on the basis of physical appearance. And it is also true that a good-looking person has an advantage in life: from having more chances of conquest to receiving more job offers. It could not be otherwise in a world that wants to hypertrophy our eyes.
Each of us must choose between two possibilities: passively adhere to this logic or set limits. As for the physical aspect, we all have some or many flaws. The problem arises when we begin to measure the importance of these defects with the eyes of society. Usually, that's when we don't accept our body.
Beauty is what can be understood without the need for reflection.
-André Maurois-
Why should we be perfect?
In fact, the question needs to be rephrased. It shouldn't be "why should we be perfect", but "why should we conform perfectly to the model of beauty imposed by society?" Obviously, mirroring those canons has its advantages, but in trying to achieve them, we risk doing ourselves a lot of harm.
Generally we do not accept our body, precisely because we evaluate it from the point of view of the model of perfection that has been imposed on us. Today's society relies heavily on the visual and we are constantly bombarded with images of people who embody this ideal of beauty. Following this, it is not uncommon to look in the mirror and then feel disappointed.
It is extremely difficult to resist a physical model that has been inculcated in us, probably all along, continuously. We end up thinking that it is "normal" to be physically perfect and that not mirroring it means being abnormal. Reality shows us quite the opposite: there are fewer cover people than physically "imperfect" people.
Do we accept or do we not accept our bodies?
When we don't accept our body, we develop a mania to criticize ourselves, especially when we look in the mirror. We have the habit of discovering defects in ourselves and evaluating them critically. I have a round face, protruding ears, too thin legs, a very large rear. Or is it the nose ... How much will a rhinoplasty cost? This self-flagellation exercise makes us feel frustrated.
We can also choose to accept that we have some flaws (like everyone else) and try to hide them. We wear high heels to see ourselves more slender or we buy a belt to hide the dozen sweets we eat every week. And when we look in the mirror, we omit the examination of those "little flaws" that we cannot hide from ourselves.
Very often we do not accept our body precisely because we are unable to look beyond that image that the mirror sends back to us. We must know that the more we try to ignore or hide a physical defect, the more it will become important in our mind. Accepting ourselves also means recognizing our beauty and our flaws. Nothing simpler, right?
Why don't we physically accept ourselves?
It is not easy to give a universal answer to this question, but we could say that we do not accept our body because we have developed a malevolent look towards us. Instead of seeing ourselves with our own eyes, we do it as if we were judges in a competition. Many powers are interested in making us see this, and perhaps we are not aware of it.
The prepackaged beauty industry makes millions and millions of dollars from the struggle we fight in private, in front of the mirror. But also thanks to all those who look at us with the eyes of a judge in a beauty contest and who decide to belittle what they see. The same people who judge us have in turn a conflictual relationship with the mirror, and to alleviate the weight of self-criticism they criticize us.
The worst part is that sometimes we get mean to ourselves and turn to phrases like "you're fat like a cow" or "you look like a monster" and so on. We treat ourselves really badly when we don't accept our body. When we reject our imperfections as they are: human, worthy of our respect, because they belong to us. And who cares if we don't look like what others want to see!
