Searching for Beauty: A risk to your health?

The concern of always looking good can be a double-edged sword. Certainly we have all felt uncomfortable with one aspect of our body at one stage in our lives. Most of us would also change how we look or some details, but why do we worry about this?

It is due to the influence of television, magazines, movies, and yes to the standards of beauty that the media dictates: Tall and slim females dominate, with high cheekbones and a flawless complexion as well as muscular, tall and handsome men. These are the images which the media have established as the defining concepts of beauty today.

Unnatural Beauty

Since the beginning of mankind, there have been certain standards of beauty. However, thanks to new techniques and technology, nowadays the media sells us beauty stereotypes that are far from natural looks, for example faces without a line of expression, tiny waists, perfect skin. We often forget that behind these perfect bodies there is a production line of photographers, makeup artists and experts to make a model look perfect, not to mention the use of technologies such as Photoshop and other retouching programs to fix the smallest details, so as a result we have an unrealistic standard of beauty but yet many of us still aspire to achieve it.

According to statistics, 73 out of 100 women are uncomfortable with wearing tight clothes and about two in five women would like to have surgery to alter their face, thighs and busts, among others.

Perfect bodies puts health at risk

Possessing attributes that make us look "perfect" can not only be expensive, but also unhealthy. In a survey conducted in Spain, about 25 % of students aged 10 to 12 years usually do "something" to lose weight and cases of anorexia and bulimia are becoming more common in young people.

Many teens deal with issues of self-esteem and insecurity and there is growing concern about weight loss, which is not at all recommended without seeking appropriate advice. This is due to the fact that many of the methods employed to lose weight by young people can be hazardous to their health and even affect their development.

Cosmetic surgery is also becoming increasingly common; in the quest to achieve the perfect body and image, people are beginning to resort to expensive surgeries that entail many risks.

Nobody can stop the clock

The world belongs to the young, so it's no wonder we all want to look young and free of wrinkles and expression lines. Therefore, many have begun investing large amounts of money in cosmetic procedures that help us fight wrinkles. Anti-ageing creams, surgeries, Botox: We are willing to go to almost any lengths just to achieve an image that allows us to be part of a certain social circle, to meet high expectations and achieve current beauty standards. However, many of us ignore or forget the fact that beauty is entirely subjective.

Healthy Beauty

Beauty does not have to be synonymous with obsession or illness; we must understand that our exterior is just a physical aspect, and it is not enough just to fix it with solutions that can be extremely risky for our health.

It's best to cultivate a healthy body; to do so, we must first accept ourselves as we are, our "flaws " are actually precisely distinctions that make us different from the rest, comparing is not a good idea to understand how beautiful you are, which is why you should focus on comprehensive and balanced beauty. For example, if you want shiny and abundant hair, feed your body so that your hair is well nourished. If you want to achieve a more youthful and radiant appearance, try to include antioxidants in your diet and drink plenty water each day.

Since your body is your temple, loving it, enjoying it and caring for it will project real, genuine beauty. Stop looking for "perfection", because in reality you cannot establish physical perfection, since beauty is subjective. That which is perfect for one person, may be completely repulsive for another and in that sense, no one is perfect. Instead, we are all perfect in our own unique ways.

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