Being bombarded with images of unrealistic ideals is something consumers are confronted with every waking hour of their short lives. Ads in magazines of perfect hamburgers with plump, juicy slices of tomatoes, crisp lettuce, and perky meat patties are really just illusions of food perfection. We know that when we go to a fast food restaurant, we aren’t going to get a burger as beautiful as the ones we see in magazines and on commercials. They will surely be effortlessly slapped together by a disgruntled employee of a thankless fast food chain.
So why can’t people think realistically when it comes to judging perceptions of beauty that the media throws at them? At the “I Am Beautiful” seminar sponsored by the ETSU Counseling Center, CAASV, and Women’s Studies held in the Martha Street Culp Auditorium on Tuesday evening, audience members listened as the program dealt with issues such as: the one-dimensional obsession with feminine thinness, media responsibility for these distorted view, and resulting bad self-esteem.
Based on the critically acclaimed book by Dana Carpenter and Woody Winfree, I Am Beautiful: A Celebration of Women, the program shares concrete tools for uncovering the beautiful inner self and building a more confident, solid base from which to explore one’s unique purpose and value.
“The purpose of the event,” says Kim Bushore-Maki, coordinator of outreach and special programs, at the Counseling Center, “is to raise awareness about how media and popular culture sends women distorted messages about their bodies which in turn diminishes women’s potential.”
The event began with Dana Carpenter, who shared some personal experiences she had with ideals of beauty growing up. She spoke about her mother’s struggle with the ravages of skin cancer and wrinkles that made her appear much older than she really was. These experiences in her life led her to become obsessed with outward appearances and try various methods of dieting to achieve a more perfect body.
“The time I spent dieting and trying to live up to an ideal,” she said, “is time that I can’t get back. We starve ourselves, criticize ourselves and hate ourselves. We are all under the spell of the pretty woman.”
The multimedia seminar displayed a slideshow of examples from advertising, which focused on thin bodies, flawless pore-free skin, shiny bouncy hair and large breasts as the aesthetic ideal for women. In the United States beauty is big business, and although we spend tens of billions of dollars trying to be perfect, most of us will fail. The cosmetics and dieting industries are 30 and 40 billion-dollar businesses. “Women spend more on Slimfast and lipstick than the whole country of Ireland spends in a year,” Carpenter said.
The “I Am Beautiful” seminar expressed that women should be judged more for their efforts and accomplishments and less for their looks.
According to Carpenter and Winfree, women of all ages, sizes and backgrounds need to discover, reveal and celebrate the power of their own unique beauty and realize their full potential.
Although, many women have fallen into the body image snare perpetuated by the media, others refuse to let it influence the way they think.
“We know that we are beautiful,” said freshmen Kristen Veldman and Katie Murphy, “and we don’t have to compare ourselves to pictures of girls in magazines to feel good.”
In the seminar Dana Carpenter further explained how to realize and nurture one’s inner beauty, and gave some tips on how to do so.
1) Be a role model to younger women and educate them about the truths of beauty perception.
2) Make a list of the physical features of your body that you really like, and keep it near your mirror.
3) Surround yourself with encouraging friends and family that tell you why they think you truly are beautiful.
For more information on body image, eating disorders, etc., visit the ETSU Counseling Center on the third floor of the D.P. Culp Center or call 439-4841. Also for more information on the book I Am Beautiful, please visit www.iambeautiful.com.

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