I find that when I practice intentionally reminding myself that those images are unrealistic, I care a lot less about whether I look like them.
2. Be friends with women who are truly beautiful on the inside.
I see so much true beauty in my female friends.
I know so many women who are powerful, resilient, funny, vibrant, brilliant and creative—who are all different ages, body types, ethnicities and abilities.
I have female friends in all decades of life who all look gorgeously different from each other. None of them match advertising’s narrow definition of beauty—and every one of them is exquisitely beautiful, each in her own way.
When I look at these women, I see many different examples of beauty right in front of me. This real-life beauty is deeper, stronger and more powerful than the two-dimensional one the media hands me.
If I take a moment every once in a while to reflect on my friends’ diverse beauty, it’s easier to remember that beauty includes me too.