Remember when you used to spend hours playing with Barbies? I'm sure when we were kids we didn't think about how Barbies looked so unrealistic. From a longer-than-average neck to a super skinny waist and the thinnest legs, Barbie's are just another unachievable beauty standard. That's why Nickolay Lamm from Pittsburg decided to make an average but still pretty-looking doll.
Lamm told USA TODAY Network that "rather than criticizing her [Barbie] we should make a proof of concept to show that a doll can actually look good if she were a normal woman." Using body proportions of an average 19-year-old woman based on data from the Centers for Disease Control he created a brand new doll called Lammily. She has on light makeup which makes her more realistic. Lamm's doll will hopefully start a new generation of young woman who for once don't feel insecure about their body.
Lamm's main point is that "average is beautiful."
That is a statement that we must start to actually believe. Sooner or later it is time to face our insecurities and move past them. Sure they will always be there, but we must realize that it's not our insecurities that shape who we are. There is so much more to life than staring into the mirror and analyzing your flaws. I know I'm not the only one who does that way too often. Even today while out shopping and trying on clothes I couldn't help but think, "I would look so much better if I just lost 10 pounds." But in reality, it honestly doesn't matter. It's not about being the skinniest you can be. It's about being healthy and that's different for everyone.
Hopefully over time you may come to find peace with your body and stop worrying so much about what others think. Like I wrote in my previous blog post, "you can't live your life comparing yourself to others." Additionally, why compare yourself to Photoshopped women? Even the model in the ad looks nothing like herself. So why give yourself standards that no one could achieve? It's time to stop looking through magazines and wishing you could look like the model in the ad. It's time to stop wishing you could look like the celebrity on TV. It's time to be happy with yourself including your body.
I challenge you to go a week without saying something negative about your body or others bodies. Say no to body hate. I know that it's challenging. Once you start it's hard to stop (as Lindsey Lohan said in Mean Girls, it's like "word vomit."). Just try to think a bit more about what you say before you say it. Or instead you can give yourself and others a compliment every day. This will brighten others' day and will help you feel better about yourself. If you stare long enough in the mirror there is bound to be something you like about yourself -- I'm sure of it.