Well ladies and gentleman I totally flaked and didn’t realize that yesterday was the official “Love Your Body Day.” My initial reaction to my brain flub was one of disappointment in myself because I missed the opportunity to raise awareness about such an important day. However, in an attempt to find the good in every situation, as well as be kinder to myself, I came up with a thought. The more I lulled over my mistake I came to realize that it’s actually kind of ridiculous that we have to set a specific date to remind people to love their body. In fact everyday should be “Love Your Body Day!” Also, no one is perfect, therefore, it is totally ok that I am a day off 😉 So, even though I missed the official “Love Your Body Day,” which by the way I think is a friggen FABULOUS campaign, I can’t let that stop me from spreading the word about the Love Your Body Campaign.

The Love Your Body Campaign was initiated by the NOW Foundation (National Organization For Women), in response to the unrealistic beauty standards that the media (and beauty industry) have placed on women. NOW strongly suggests that “the beauty template women are expected to follow is extremely narrow, unrealistic and frequently hazardous to their health.” And as someone who has personally dealt with disordered eating, and been in a treatment facility for the disease, I can attest to just how damaging this “beauty template” can be to how women, and even men, see themselves or even weigh their self worth.

The media, we must remember, is portraying unattainable images of beauty that are heavily photoshopped and altered. We shouldn’t be striving to look like these “fake” constructed images, but should be focused on bettering ourselves, finding a purpose and encouraging all women to feel empowered. So, I hope that every one of you out there will live everyday like it’s “Love Your Body Day” and challenge the media’s message to women that the value of their self worth is based on their willingness, as well as efforts, to “embody” current beauty standards.

To learn more about how you can better your perception of beauty head on over to The National Organization For Women Foundation.