Self Confidence: Am I Beautiful?

Before reading the rest of this blog, click on this link to see a YouTube video: 'Things won't change until we change them'. By Dove. Self Esteem campaign.

Let's talk about self-confidence. From my personal experience growing up and that of some others I know, from information I have read on the internet and social media, I would conclude that the young people in the above clip are not alone in feeling the way they do. It appears to be a wide spread phenomenon, especially with girls and young women. In fact, certain statistics reveal that 7 out of 10 girls do not believe they are good enough in relation to looks, how well they perform in school and in relationships at home and school. (See https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-teens-and-self-esteem for further information and statistics.)

I understand that as we mature as adults, we tend not to care so much about what people may think of us, therefore it can be argued that we develop self-confidence. On the other hand, there are extremely confident teenagers as well as young adults out there too, so I guess this is a good point to ask the question why does self-confidence seem to be elusive to many? It would be interesting to hear your view on this question.

As stated in the above clip, one of the reasons why people have low self-confidence is due to how they look. We may all have something to say on the increased influence that TV, magazines and social media have on our young ones and I will absolutely agree and go further to say that there should be some accountability from the companies who portray a certain type of look as beautiful. However, can we really attribute all blame to these institutions? Surely to do so would mean that as individuals, we are void of choice, strength and personal responsibilities. Personal responsibilities to ourselves and our children. Should we not all have a say and loudly voice our own opinion of what beauty is? Should we not teach this to our children? Are we teaching this to our children?

By the way, I love the way Dove has campaigned for a few years to change people’s concept of beauty. I am not endorsing any Dove product, however, if you have a few minutes, please take time to view one more video campaign by Dove by clicking on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pqknd1ohhT4

Dove appears to be taking corporate responsibility which is great. There is also a need to take personal responsibility to realign or renew our mindset. This is necessary to be effective collectively - and this is what Joined Up Thinking is all about. We begin to be effective when we work together to help each other. Visit our pages and also leave your details on our contact page if you would like to know more about Joined Up Thinking and how we can help you, your church or community. Also email us at: info@joinedupthinkinguk.com and let us know if you would like to join our team of volunteer mentors.

So in regards to beauty, perhaps we first need to evaluate and conclude on what beauty is. What does beauty look like? Permit me to provide an answer: Beauty is you. Beauty is me. What is your answer?

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