I have to say…Dove gets it. Dove, the beauty product line gets it. They understand that women especially are severe on their own image more than others.  I will quickly point out that they are still a flawed company and have their own issues [as they are owned by the same company that owns Axe, Lever 2000, etc.] and I am simply focusing on this ad. Look at the array of beauty products and self-enhancers. Wear this [insert type of makeup] and look more beautiful than ever. Use [insert hair product] and your hair will be better! It goes as far as encouraging injections, cosmetic surgeries, expensive beauty treatments all with the hope that you’ll look better which will of course make you feel better.  The problem is women can use all the variety of products they want but they will still be dissatisfied if they don’t know how to view their self without the products. Add to the fact that if women think of their body has even slightest overweight, they will try various dietary supplements, try every diet, have an eating disorder, etc. If women don’t feel great about themselves before the product, what makes those companies think they will feel better after? This is where Dove has it right. They get it. They get that women struggle with appearance and self-esteem. Yes, of course its marketing for their company, but hey it worked for me simply because I support what they are doing… helping women realize they are already beautiful.

Whatever your race, background, height, weight, hair color, eye color, shape of face, or anything else… we are all beautiful. I’ve actually said this for years. Try to find the beauty in everyone, even men. Why? We are ALL create in the Image of God which means part of that beauty is within each of us. Who decides if someone is attractive or not? Beautiful or not? Handsome or not? If we all try to see the beauty in others, we’ll see the beauty in ourselves. If we begin to see the beauty in our ourselves, we’ll see the beauty in others. When we stop being so critical of fitting a mold of supposed human perfection, than we can begin to see beauty for what it is. Check out this video made by Dove, called “Real Beauty Sketches”

Dove.

I will chime in for one minute about what it means to be healthy. I believe everyone is beautiful to a degree, however, not everyone is healthy. I think it is very important to not confuse the two nor forget about health. Being healthy means not eating crap all the time, taking care of you body [which again includes the food/drinks/vitamins/etc you put into your body] and having exercise as a staple of your week, if not day. I’m not saying everyone needs to be marathon runners, body builders or look like supermodels. I am saying we each need to take care of bodies, eat better [let’s be serious… almost all of us can improve on this], and have some bit of regular physical fitness. We wonder why we are tired all the time, feel crappy, have acne, or are overweight. There you go…food for thought [not to eat]

Know you are beautiful. You were made in the image of God. BUT we should care about our bodies a little bit more that what we do. Let’s not worry about vanity so much. Yes, you can wear makeup and cute clothes and not be vain. You can work out and not be vain. Its perfectly fine to want to get dressed up and look fancy and FEEL beautiful, but always remember that you already are beautiful. Its also important to care about the health of said body. A huge part of feeling beautiful comes from not liking your physical body because you might be overweight. I don’t mean to sound harsh or inconsiderate, but rather than have a pity party about feeling fat [and maybe actually being overweight] go to the gym and develop a plan. When I first starting working out a few years ago- like going to a gym on a regular basis working out- I actually started to feel better. My body was actually getting healthier and I physically felt better. Don’t neglect that aspect of yourself, BUT never EVER EVER forget that you are beautiful. You are beautiful, way more than you think you are.