Let's Be Part Of The Two Percent
I was looking to post something funny, but instead I found the very sad statistic that only two percent of women around the world describe themselves as beautiful.
From Brazil to the Netherlands to Argentina — across cultures, ages, ethnicities and race — women make it clear they believe there is a one-dimensional and narrow, physical definition of beauty. The findings show that the ideas of beauty and physical attractiveness are largely synonymous, and although both are highly valued by society, both are rendered almost impossible to attain.
See the comments button below? Why don’t you hit it this morning, and tell us all what is beautiful about you.
The original post and comments.
Posted by mo pie
Filed under: BFD Classic, Fat Positive, Feel Good Friday, International
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I have pretty blue eyes and soft, soft skin with freckles!
Only one comment so far! Sad!
I have a flirty walk, a sweet pair of lips and a vibrant stare.
I have a great rack, an infectious laugh, and gorgeous hands.
I have striking green eyes, a full sexy mouth and a real hourglass figure.
Hey – just typing that felt *good*!
I have BBCH (big, beautiful, curly hair). :-D
I have captivating eyes, a great pouty mouth (thanks mom!), and according to my husband, I, too, have a great rack. I also just discovered recently that I have really pretty hands. I also think my feet are kinda cute!!
That was cool, I think I need to do this more often!!
I’ve got nice arms, pretty green and brown eyes, great curly hair, and cute freckles.
According to others, I have beautiful eyes, gorgeous hair, an infectious smile, amazing skin, and sexy curvy hips. *I* also think I have luscious lips, pretty shoulders, and my freckles are damn cute.
Pretty eyes, dirty (and infectuous) laugh, quick wit, soft skin and long, powerful legs. :-)
Geez, I feel instantly great! I wish all you beautiful ladies a great weekend!
I like my shoulders. People are always telling me how much they love my thick, full hair. I’ve also been told that I’m very (physically)flexible…by a physical therapist! Get your mind out of the gutter! ;) I like my long-ish legs.
And I like my strength, in all aspects. I love the way my body and mind feels during and after exercise. I love the movement and the power that my body is capable of.
I like that I know what manners and courtesy are. I love that I deal well with change. I love that I can be spontaneous, adventurous, and unpredictable.
Thank you for this exercise. It’s uplifting, and reminds me that, thankfully, I am not one-dimensional.
Wow, I can’t actually do it.
Good reminder that this is all a process, even for those of us who jaw about self-acceptance all the time.
I have beautiful eyes. I want to add that they are squinty because of the fat, so less beautiful than hey once were, but I suppose that defeats the exercise…. Dammit, I would be beautiful if I wasn’t fat!!!
I have exactly the thick, wavy hair I’d pick if I had a choice, and a confident stride.
I have an hourglass figure, nice eyes, thick hair, an understanding of what looks good on my figure (and what doesn’t!), and a robust constitution, as well as an open mind, good spirit, and a passion for learning.
This was a great confidence-boosting exercise!
I have freckles on my shoulders and on my nose. I have a port wine stain birthmark on the left side of my neck – in the shape of a playboy bunny! Totally not kidding, either: it even has the nose and the bow tie. Hee.
My hair is really soft, my eyes are my favorite shade of blue, and i have a nice soft belly that invites snugs with my husband and our fur-kids. :D
I have beautiful curly hair, a buttery olive complexion, a cute nose, big brown eyes with long eyelashes, good height, and, I’m starting to believe after years of self-body-hatred, nice legs. In fact, I’m starting to think that my entire shape is kind of nice.
What a great exercise! I love reading all the other replies, too!
I have really lovely shoulders, a fabulous smile, and acres and acres of rockin’ booty.
I also give excellent hugs and can entertain most small children in 5 seconds flat.
Oh, I thought of one: I have a really nice smile! (There is a down side. I smiled too often at the guy who makes sushi in the caf, and now he has a crush on me, so I don’t want to get sushi very often because it involves making smalltalk and trying to reach for things with my left hand in a very prominent position.)
I have the most gorgeous straight soft fine hair that grows down to my hips. I also “smile with my whole body” (it was my husband who said it, but I’ve co-opted it because it is true) and I have beautifully strong arms and hands from manual medicine and almost three decades of playing piano.
Wow, that was fun! :)
I have beautiful hair, straight teeth and lovely green eyes.
I have a beautiful heart and spirit. I have beautiful hair, even when it’s sticking up all over the place because it is mine and I have grown into it. I have beautiful eyes that smile at the world. and I have a beautiful, contagious laugh.
I have hot hourglass curves, long, shapely legs and full lips.
EVERYTHING!
Especially when I wear any shade of purple :D
I have beautiful brown eyes, a great ass, fabulous breasts, and great hair. I also have shapely arms and great calves.
I can’t do it, either. I could list things other people have said they find beautiful in me, but when I look in the mirror I can usually only see the flaws.
Every once in a while it’s as though a veil lifts, and I see my reflection and think, “Hey, you’re not half bad!”
Unfortunately, it doesn’t last.
This is definitely something I need to work on. (Meanwhile, congratulations to you and Ian!)
Broad, slender, articulate hands even I can love. Tits my spouse adores even though they wouldn’t be my first pick. Ivory skin. Hourglass figure with a narrow waist. Big goofy smile. White streak in standup short hair that I have given up on dyeing (very liberating.) And, but naturally, wit, brains, charm and a traffic-stopping vocabulary. Go me! Go us!
These things may not qualify as beautiful to the rest of the world, but they are to me:
1.My pointed ear, because it came from my dad.
2.My hazel eyes, because they came from my mom.
3.My prematurely grey hair, because Grandma gave it to me.
4.The scar on my chin, because my brothers and I were having a dazzlingly silly and happy time–right up till I got hurt.
5.The scars on my palms, because those surgeries gave me back the use of my hands.
Crazy dark curly hair, muscular shoulders, cupid’s-bow lips, and a skin that takes a tan well even through SPF 30.
I have amazing eyebrows, a beautiful smile, a wicked sense of humor and laugh with my whole body.
Damn. I’m a total hottie!
Buh? What’s with all the green eyes on here? I’ve never met anyone else with green eyes, yet they’re all over the internet XP
Well, adding to that, I do have really pretty green eyes, with flecks of brown, blue and yellow in them. I also have the best hair in town: down to my waist, dark dark brown with amber highlights, straight with just a hint of wave.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
And I am my own beholder, am I not?
I mean, I have a right to, on the basis of my own beliefs, prejudices and preferences, determine how I feel about how I look.
And when I do this, not trying to apply the lens or filter of anyone else, or “society,” I pretty much like what I see.
It all seems somewhat silly, until I think about it from a more feminist perspective.
Shouldn’t I own my own image, or perception?
Is the only reason I exist is to serve as titillation for men?
If I don’t fit the criteria that most men (or maybe not even most men) would find attractive at 50 paces, does that mean I need to disappear?
I, and all people, are so much more than that.
It’s an issue of commodification.
So, that’s not so silly. By appreciating my own beauty and being “out” about it, it’s a political statement. I have every right to think of myself as beautiful. Maybe I need another word. Beautiful is very weighty. To me it implies something that everyone agrees upon, like a fairy-tale princess’s beauty. Beauty in this context is both powerful and dangerous, and it can make you vulnerable, too (like Snow White and Cinderella).
So, what word works? What word captures that feeling you have of yourself that is satisfied, comfortable, at peace, and open rather than “full of yourself.” A feeling that your own personal beauty is connected to the beauty in others, in the natural world, in the universe?
I really like it when I feel connected to the universal. Whether I’m taking a walk in “nature” or feeling compassion for another human being, that is a nice feeling. I like it. And those feelings that I sometimes have of appreciation for who I am, the nice qualities I possess, the nice qualities others posess, what “nature” has, how amazing a spider’s web is (although I might be less tolerant of the same spider in my shower) – all of this adds up to a feeling of connectedness.
I certainly don’t believe I’m more beautiful than others, as a rule. So why do I feel I’m less beautiful than others, as a rule? I’m not either thing. I just am. Others are. We are. And in those moments of being that feel good, that’s where the beauty is.
I have beautiful eyes and lips, and my cleavage isn’t half bad either! (And it feels really good to be able to say that without thinking about it too hard, or trying to talk myself out of saying it. It’s true, and that’s all. The end.)
I have beautiful eyes that look stunning when shadowed in a mauve with the top lids finely lined. I have great eyebrows.
I have gorgeous lips. They are uniform (top versus bottom) with a perfectly formed cupids bow. When coloured with a deep red lipstick they look like Betty Boop lips…and frankly…I get a huge kick out of it.
I have apple-y cheeks (good bone cheeks) and great wavy dark hair. The older I get the more grey hair I get…but it’s looking good. It’s thick and healthy.
I have a body that may be significantly overweight – but it heals rapidly. I was out for a surgery awhile ago. Normally – people take about 8 wks to recoup. I was back to work after 2 with no problem. :)
I am loving, kind, generous and sincere. I care about people. I am a wonderful mom. I am beautiful.
I too have a marvelous rack, good eyes and great lips that are naturally so red they don’t need lipstick.
I need to find glasses that flatter my eyes better.
I am told that my son is a dead ringer for me, so I look at him and see how cute he is and by that comparaison, I must be cute, too.
And everybody says it’s obvious that Stella is my daughter, and she is flat out drop dead gorgeous, so I must be at least somewhat striking to have produced that.
Yet another person with green eyes here (they’re pretty common in Scotland).
I have pretty hands and feet, and I really like my hair, which is very long and a nice browny-blondy-red colour.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I mean, my husband really likes the way I walk, and although I’d probably disagree, that doesn’t mean he’s wrong.
I have to question these statistics… I always feel like these studies are biased somehow to make people more paranoid.
I find that the less time I spend looking in the mirror the better I feel. You’re always going to find something “wrong” so it’s better not to look sometimes! I have beautiful hair and a great smile.
I know I’m like, uh, a week or so late on this, but I wanted to play too….
I have incredible legs and I walk like a supermodel – amazing posture, eye contact, fast kind of stomping and swaying pace. I have a gorgeous face and an awesome figure – my boyfriend makes fun of me (in an I-love-your-confidence way) because every time we walk past a mirror I have to glance, to admire how good I look. Thin girls are sometimes surpised at how many guys crush on me, but I’m not. It’s the confidence, the fact that when you look at yourself, you look for the things that are right, not the things that are wrong. When you know & play up what’s beautiful about you, everyone else is far more likely to notice the same things you do.
I think this is one of the best exercises I have seen in forever. Every woman should see this, men too. So, here goes my list:
I have a beautiful smile that lights up my face, I have naturally straight even teeth, I have sexy eyes that turn the most amazing deep green color when I am feeling anything intensely (good or bad), I am a wonderful mom even with the mistakes I’ve made, I am an open-minded non-judgmental human.
Wow, you guys are right — that feels wonderful! Thank you for this!
Let’s see…
I have pretty blue eyes and eyebrows that are perfectly shaped for my face. I have two dimples on each side of my face. I have thick brown hair that looks great cut as a bob. I like all the brown spots on my arm – sounds strange, but I do! They were inherited.
I was once told by a very pleasant Southern lady that I resemble a beautiful girl in one of her soap operas! To this day, whenever I am feeling down, I think about those comments.
I also happen to be a very nice and funny person who loves her family.
I have very prety blue eyes. I have curls which I sometimes hate and sometimes love. They seem to have a personallity of their own and it seems like whenever I’m having a good day they look amazing.
I like how I walk. I sometimes feel like I could come across as a celebrity, model, politician, or royal because I walk so well.
I think what I like most of all is that I look innocent. I’m medium height, fair skinned, curly hair and blue eyed and I just plain look innocent. I think it’s cute.
But I HATE my actual body. You see, anything I meantion that I like about myself is an actual feature or trait(eyes, hair…) But my body shape, my rolly stomach, my strech marks, my flabby arms…I HATE! and when I think of those it makes anything I like about myself seem ridiculous. I feel like my pretty eyes aren’t even noticed because people can’t get past my size, because I can’t get past my size.
The thing is, my boyfriend is devoted to me entirely. He thinks I’m beautiful and pretty and cute and doesn’t let me forget it. Sometimes I make him angry if I say anything negative about myself. I feel like I’m not very confident about myself. I know this has to be bad for our relationship, but
I have HUGE brown eyes with cherry-colored lips, thick, black-brown curly hair and a small nose.
ps: to “i have a pretty face”, i love blu eyes!
I always thought that as a self-esteem booster that naming the things I like about myself was a useless thing to do (I have struggled with eating disorders for years) …..However from reading all these wonderful comments I have changed my mind! I actually feel pretty good about myself. I like my hair (sort of straight/wavy, dark blonde but highlighted). I also like my face ( my greeny/blue eyes, nose, lips, my teeth with a small space). I like my body it’s curvy with a great ass! I am not tall, but I feel strong