Owning The Skin We Are In
I’m sure we are all guilty of it, being so critical of ourselves. We say it all the time when we look at pictures, oh I hate the way I look there or that makes me look big. Forget playing back a voicemail or hearing or seeing ourselves on video. We cringe and say, do I really sound like that? But why is it that way? Are there some people who are so confident that they don’t flinch when they see a picture of themselves or walk with such confidence that others can feel it. Is it a natural urge to find things about ourselves that we can improve on or is it us comparing ourselves to the way we see others?
That’s the question that got us thinking…the way we see others. Do we have the ability to view ourselves the way others see us? We can look at a picture of each other and compliment it, yet if we look at ourselves individually we would have a laundry list of things we don’t like. Then we tried focusing on things we did like about ourselves. When saying them out loud and realizing if anyone else heard us, someone might think we were being cocky. So is there a balance? Can we be comfortable owning the skin we are in without coming off as full of ourselves? Can we shift our thinking to be positive as apposed to negative? Has society built a norm to strive to achieve perfect, although we still aren’t sure what perfection is and can be interpreted so many different ways.
This subject isn’t just for women out there. We have heard and seen many of our guy friends say the same thing. It might be in different context but all very critical. It could be them not liking their smile, feeling like they don’t have enough muscles or being scared about their hair thinning. Women maybe more vocal about it but men are still thinking and feeling it.
As we continue to age gracefully, and now view things from a different perspective, we think about how we can instill confidence in our children. Is it something that begins from the start, is it a constant evolving cycle as we go through stages of our life? Many times we will hear someone say, I looked my best at this age or I wish I could be in my 20’s again. Can owning the skin you are in continue with you throughout your life, or does confidence having a stopping point?
We thought about things we see everyday, and it’s no secret, many of the magazines and tabloids are all about who gained weight, lost it, how this person looks, who wore it better etc. A constant comparison to then and now or who and what. A positive campaign that promotes loving the skin you are in is Dove. It’s nice to see all different body types, ages, and positive confidence being promoted. So the next time you go to criticize something about yourself try to be thankful you even have eyes to see it.
We leave you with this quote…
“Be confident. Too many days are wasted comparing ourselves to others and wishing to be something we aren’t. Everybody has their own strengths and weaknesses, and it is only when you accept everything you are -and aren’t – that you will truly succeed.” ~ Unknown
We are not affiliated with Dove, nor have they contacted us to promote them. This is just a positive campaign we wanted to highlight.
