Beauty Mark

Watching “Beauty Mark” I believe has made some sort of impact on all of us that watched it. Listening to someone’s troubles and triumphs firsthand really has that much more of an appeal. Personal stories tend to keep our interest longer and are more likely to be remembered. We go to see what personally affected Diane and attributed to her unique health behavior. Eating disorders are well known disorders, but excessive exercising is not. I never really thought that it could be an option. Most people get fit and healthy and stop once they feel satisfied with their results. How could anyone that has reached that point not see that they have amazing healthy bodies? How could a woman bodybuilder feel self conscious about her body? How could she or Diane have low self esteem when they have bodies like theirs? That is why it is important to hear their stories. We learned that Diane’s childhood had affected her mentally and emotionally. For those of us that see people with “perfect” bodies that are never satisfied, we never think about the personal troubles they have been through that could be the reason why they continue to strive for an even better body. Unfortunately, these individuals lose themselves in their workouts and put it before anything and anyone else. Family members and partners are also affected because they lose touch with their friend or daughter because they are working out multiple times a day. Even when the individual finally takes time to “relax” and spend time with their family and friends, they are still thinking about their bodies or stressed that they are missing a workout and it could result in a confrontation with who they with. Diane’s obsession with working out sadly ruined the relationship she had with her girlfriend. How do you convince someone to think differently when they refuse to? It just amazes me that fit people can have low self-esteem too. Seeing someone and listening to their story really made a difference. Seeing their faces, listening to their voices, and seeing personal pictures and videos make it so personal, you truly feel for the individual. We saw Diane’s family and see how they interacted with each other. We got to see Diane’s past girlfriend and hear how her excessive exercise behavior had affected their lives. Many girls, outside the athletic realm, also feel the pressure to have “perfect” bodies. It’s hard to be satisfied with your body when the media is pushing the ideal and sometimes “false” body. I say false because we saw a person photoshop a model’s face to fix imperfections and mold it into someone who does truly exist in real life. What everyone tries to be isn’t attainable without digital editing. We all know that what we see in magazines has usually been edited, so why do we keep trying so hard to be it? Self-esteem is something all girls have; from top women athletes to young adolescent girls. It's something that will always be in our minds, the trick is to not let it get out of hand and take over our lives.

Torey Richmond
Kin338I
sec01
Tues/Thurs
9:30-10:45am