"Ain't I a Woman?"

I am preaching to my own choir here, but hopefully I can take my own advice. I feel like society has false expectations of what a woman is. Not everyone, but a lot of both men and women have this view. I wonder if this is one of the biggest reasons we, as women have such low self esteem, are always comparing ourselves with others, some who gossip and are judgmental, and some who admit, or are in denial, that have eating disorders. A lot of the time eating disorders are a sense of control, but a lot of the time it hits two birds with one stone... control, and to be thin. I walk in the grocery lines and surrounded with magazines by women who are skinny in their swimsuits, their hair and make up perfect with the smile that says they are perfect. Well, with camera editing they pretty much LOOK perfect. I recently talked to a model in one of my classes. She said she is dumbfounded how different she looks after the editing. (Now this girl was skin and bones, and beautiful as it was.) She said the editor's will add more rump and bumps in certain places, change the color and shape of her eyes, and colors her teeth whiter. How are we to compete with that? Even worse, her husband isn't happy with just the way she is. Is constantly telling her to lose a couple of pounds. I decided that for my own affirmations, I need to look at women in history that may not be the most beautiful on the outside, but I would rather acquire to be like them than any model I have ever seen. Here are seven right of the top of my head:

1. Sojourner Truth
2. Susan B. Anthony & Elizabeth Cady Stanton

3. Florance Nightingale

4. Harriett Tubman


5. Irena Sendler