Looks aren't everything...

Today I watched a TED talk by model Cameron Russell. She talked about the questions people ask her as a model and opened up about her insecurities. One of her last statements really resonated with me "I am insecure, and I am insecure because I have to think about what I look like every day.... you just need to meet a group of models because they have the thinnest thighs, the skinniest hair, the coolest clothes, but they are the most physically insecure women, probably, on the planet." 

It hit close to home, not because I am a model, because I am far from it, but it was the reality of her statement. When our lives are focused only on how we look we are bound to be insecure. When my life was focused on every bite and each workout, trying to push myself to have the "perfect" physique  I was more anxious and unhappy than ever.

But I think the saddest part of her statement is that it isn't confined to models. Of course it is a models job to look good, but I would venture to say in our society it is considered all women's jobs to look good. We live in a very unforgiving society where our waist line is the measuring stick for our worth. This means no matter what we look like, we feel like we are not good enough. If those that fit the ideal beauty standards (models) are insecure what does that tell us?

The take away is, of course,  that your appearance is a small part of who you are. And that if you don't find joy and happiness in life outside of that, no amount of weight loss, or makeup, or plastic surgery, etc. will make you happier.