HEALTH & BEAUTY Do I look strong in this? By Rowena Kitchen
When we look at ourselves in the mirror we often overlook the important things and concentrate on the ubiquitous, i.e. do we look fat in whatever we have chosen to wear that day? My good friend who, when working as a house mistress
in a girls’ boarding school, tried to stem the tide of girls basing how they felt that day on whether or not they thought they looked, ‘fat’ by coining the phrase ‘Do I look strong in this?’ I wish I had thought of it! There are more days when we need to be strong than those when we need to be thin. In fact, I cannot imagine a situation when being thin would win the day. Being thin does not make you smarter, more interesting or more likely to win the lottery. Having the resolve to ignore the trend for super skinniness takes some strength that’s for sure. Even if you don’t actually go as far as dieting and exercising to reach this ‘industry standard’ it will still be in the back of your mind, lurking there, mocking you, as you pour another glass of wine or eat (gasp) a piece of toast. If you are immune to this particular media led piece of rubbish then I salute you. I am scared to be on the road as people rush to
reinvent themselves for 2015 lest someone on the latest fad diet – the 5.2 regime which involves fasting, for two days a week, then eating what you want the rest of the time – is driving towards me. Can you imagine the lack of concentration as they struggle to get through the day on 500 calories? There are many issues surrounding the way women perceive themselves starting with images in magazines and on film. there was a small nod to being less obsessed with thinness when, as a result of a media protest, the designers begrudgingly chose what they thought of as ‘regular’ sized people to parade their wares up and down the catwalk. This
magnanimous gesture lasted one season and everybody knows that size 8 is still tiny… Your body image is your armour for the day ahead.
There are more
days when we need to be strong than those when we need to be thin
Inner strength, which is accrued with age and life experience, gives us our outer beauty. Feeling confident in your appearance leaves room to concentrate on the important things in life. Younger people devote quite a lot of time to their outer casing as they set out to find a mate! Thankfully with age that irritating situation begins to take a back seat. Don’t think of it as throwing in the towel but rather embracing the circle of life. Obviously don’t indulge to the point of it being a danger to your health but take the brakes off and enjoy bullishly wearing mismatched outfits, dancing enthusiastically at your children’s weddings while they cringe in a corner, eating that slice of cake or indulging in that carefully chosen bottle of wine remembering that little and often is better than a big
blow out at the weekends. What is perceived as being beautiful
changes by the century, even by the decade and
not just body shape but the proportion of eyes to nose to lips, hair colour and even the size of your hands! Twenty years ago, having a gap in your teeth meant endless trips to the dentist and braces. Today that gap could be your passport to success as a model. A winning smile is a true asset in social situations. It’s a common saying to have ‘plastered on a smile and got on with it’. If you are smiling then all is right with the world or at least that is the message you are sending. Oral health is a big concern for everybody at any stage of life. Past generations suffered dreadfully from rotting teeth, receding gums and horrid abscesses that would have been extremely painful. We are so well off for treatments for our teeth these days that we have invented another goal and that is to have teeth white enough to blind those on the receiving end of your smile. However there is no point in having the whitest of white teeth if the rest of your mouth is in a state. There are many areas to consider including your gums and tongue not forgetting your lips. Looking after your teeth is a
Illustration by Lisa Wyman
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