The truth: Our society is obsessed with beauty and a lot of women are willing to do almost anything in pursuit of it. These truths make it difficult to be a woman sometimes, but this doesn`t mean that we women have to live our lives by this truth, or that is should dictate how we feel about ourselves. The absolute truth is that beauty does come in all shapes and sizes.

The Simple Truth

At some point in our lives, we women come to a crossroads. We either accept ourselves the way that we were created and strive to be our most healthy and beautiful version, or we spend our time and money pursuing the media`s ideal of beauty. The fact is that since it`s impossible to remove ourselves from society`s influence, either choice is hard. I believe, however, that if we choose to be our most beautiful and healthful selves within our own standards, we ultimately find more peace here in time.

The Good News

The good news is that we women are consistently too hard on ourselves. How is that good news? That means that others always see us as more beautiful than we see ourselves - we simply don`t give ourselves enough credit. Moreover, we underestimate the amount of attention that our personality gets from others over our looks. We all know someone that isn`t calendar or pin-up material, but their energy, their charm, their humor, and the qualities that make them inherently unique make them highly attractive to us, enjoyable to be around, and many times, lovely to look at. We all know someone like that, but we just have a hard time believing that any one sees us this way. And that`s just not logical is it?

At The End of the Day

It may seem hard to believe, but at the end of the day, what people remember about us is not the physical impression we make, but how we touch them personally. Many women find this difficult to keep in perspective, myself included. Here are some tips for helping yourself know how beautiful you are.

Accept the fact that it`s hard for all of us and that how you feel is normal, and then do something about it. Most of us women feel at least okay about ourselves until we open that Victoria`s Secret catalog. If media images of women bother you and make you feel inadequate, that`s okay - now you know you`re human. Avoid them and focus your attention elsewhere.

Focus on your inner self - as cliché as that sounds, people who are so self-conscious create a self-fulfilling prophecy. People don`t like self-centered people. Take your focus off of how you look and focus it genuinely on the people around you - everyone will find you beautiful then. Lastly, spend your time dwelling on the great qualities you have and how they have fostered the growth of the great friendships and relationships you have. Every time you tell yourself how much you hate your thunder-thighs, replace it with a thought about how your great laugh is so contagious. It may take some time, but it works!

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