Self Acceptance: You Are Not Good Enough (or so they tell you)

I got a Groupon this morning for “Eight Slimming Lipocontour Treatments” for $249. It made me start thinking about how difficult self-acceptance is when I am constantly bombarded with messages that I am not beautiful enough, skinny enough, smooth enough. Self-esteem can be really hard to maintain, especially when these advertisements work on my self-conscious, giving me the possibility of “looking better,” which only indirectly tells me that, currently, I don’t look so hot.

The Groupon (which I got on my phone, and so the message scrolled across the top when I went to make a phone call) made me start thinking about all of the messages I see on a daily basis that offer me “magic” results:

• a billboard on the way to work promises that I can lose 45 pounds in 30 days
• retail stores now have jeans that will “instantly slim” me
• a local spa has a sign in their window for a “SlimCapsule” that will burn 500 calories if I lay down in it
• an advertisement on Facebook tells me the HCG diet will help me lose weight FAST

And this doesn’t even cover magazines, television, and movies, where the sight of women who look “perfect” remind me that I don’t look like that. Even worse, now that cosmetic surgery/treatments are so socially acceptable, I measure myself against women I see every day who have gotten a lot of “help” to look as good as they do at the beach. I have cellulite on my thighs, which by the way are called “saddlebags” because they’re wider than my hips. My breasts have stretch marks, and without a bra, they’re heading towards my navel.

Of course, it occurs to me that all of these “remedies” cost money- A LOT of money. And someone is making that money off of women’s (and men’s) insecurities. Personally, I would rather spend my money on a lush vacation, sitting on the beach with my cellulite hanging out, than sitting at home looking “slim.”

But the key is to remind myself, every single day, that I am beautiful. I’m tall, so I have long legs, and even though they’re imperfect, they are sexy. I exercise regularly, and my body is healthy. And no matter what I do, cellulite and stretch marks are part of my heritage- a heritage that includes great curves.

I hope this post helps you think about how you can LOVE YOUR CURVES and drown out the messages that would tell you otherwise, because if you let them, they will seep into your consciousness and make you think less of yourself. And that means they have succeeded.

How do you protect yourself from negative messages and give yourself self-acceptance?

Interested in self acceptance and self esteem? Join our Lingerie Loves Your Curves campaign.

Return to AboutCurves Curvy Angle blog for plus size women.

Shop for all kinds of plus size lingerie at AboutCurves.