Karen Elson: I’m a model, and I didn’t feel attractive as a teenager or in my early 20s. It takes time for some of us to grow into our skin. I know I’m in an industry that has contributed to this mythical ideal of physical “perfection” (though I do know a lot of positive role models in fashion who have embraced themselves as individuals and certainly don’t conform); but the problem is bigger than one industry. Society has burdened all of us women with the idea that we’ll never be perfect, but that we have to keep striving to be. And on top of it, that same society keeps changing its mind about what “perfect” is. Back in the ’50s the current zero-fat all-muscle ideal would have been seen as too skinny and boyish. If Marilyn Monroe were alive today she’d be told to lose weight before she could be in movies. And there’s always a new diet, a new workout, a new pill that promise to get us closer to where we’re “supposed” to be. I find this really tragic, especially as a mother of a daughter. I tell my children to love themselves for who they are, but that’s probably not enough to tell your friends when they talk negatively about their bodies. I think the most helpful thing you can do is to remind them that they’re great and tell them all of the things you honestly love about them: their intelligence, their sense of humor, their talents, their compassion, their personal style, their unruly curls, their crooked teeth, their birthmarks, etc. And tell them you don’t like hearing them be so harsh about their bodies. Sadly, almost all women, no matter how thin, curvy, short, or tall, have to deal with our own body issues, but having a supportive and truthful friend helps. All this said, if you know someone who dislikes her body so intensely that you’re worried about her, tell her you think she should get help from a school counselor or a therapist. And meanwhile, remind your friends that they can spend their lives trying to fit into someone else’s mold, or they can be themselves, be happy, and let it shine.

dashboard: sherlo-

dashboard: superna-

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Me: yeah, that's why I bought his album, to listen to his face.