Look Better Naked, Feel Better Naked

Look Better Naked, Feel Better Naked
By Guest Blogger, Erika

“Look Better Naked!” an article I found on womenshealthmag.com, by Michele Promaulayko, discusses her new book entitled The Naked Truth. The article intrigued me because, as a woman, I could completely relate and find truth in most of what she said. Michele exclaims, “When we’re naked, it’s not just our bodies that are on exhibit—it’s our hearts, our souls, our very self-worth that feels exposed and ripe for criticism.” This sentence, right off the bat to me, perfectly hit the definition of what it feels like to be naked. Once unclothed, we are enabled to pinpoint every exact little tiny fleck of an issue that we have with ourselves and then magnify it in our minds. No problem spot is left unseen or unknown to anyone and that rather blatantly terrifies most women. She then goes on to discuss her personal struggle with this issue and how she feels that the book can help woman regain their high self-esteem.

According to research done by Michele, “One recent medical survey revealed that a mere 19 percent of women are happy with their bodies. In other words, of your five closest friends, only one of them thinks her physique deserves a thumbs-up.” This statement is completely saddening, yet it seems to hold true. Back home, I have a small group of five girlfriends including myself. During high school, it almost seemed as if none of us were proud of our bodies, let alone comfortable in them, with or without clothes. Anytime anyone one of us is together, the weight topic is still brought up some way or another. Every time a compliment is given, the girl just denies it and changes the topic.

Is that what we have come to with out bodies in modern day? Are we so embarrassed about our weight and appearance that we cannot even accept a compliment from a close friend? How horrible I think it is that many girls look in the mirror constantly to degrade and remind themselves of all the things that they believe are wrong with them. Unfortunately, it seems as though we have been socialized into a society that promotes the ideal woman to have a small waist, large breasts, and a tight behind.

Therefore, from the time we are little girls into the years of are adulthood, we are constantly trying to force our bodies to appear as the ideal woman and end up dissatisfied when we do not reach such high expectations that we and society hold for ourselves. A new proposed goal would be, instead of being concerned with how we look, why don’t we try to be concerned with how we feel? How we feel when we are healthier, staying active and eating nutritive foods. Everyone has fat; it has a purpose, to protect the body. It is nothing to be ashamed of. We should be concerned about our over all health. If we feel better, we are more likely to think we look better.

From what I read in the article, I think that The Naked Truth would be an uplifting read and may even change some people’s perspectives of their body. I might decide to read it over Christmas break and I’ll try to let you know more about it. If anyone has already read it, please feel free to comment.