We are all BEAUTIFUL

Today's blog is not as much about dating/domestic violence as it is about self-esteem. We all have something about ourselves that we dislike or would change about ourselves. Plastic surgery seems to be very popular these days: liposuction, breast augmentation, nose jobs, botox, eye lifts, and so forth. The TLC song "Unpretty" comes to mind when I think about plastic surgery and how we change or try to change ourselves when we don't like something about ourself or feel uncomfortable in our own skin as we are. The line from that song that always comes to my mind related to self-esteem is "you can by your hair if it won't grow, you would fix your nose if he said so, you can buy all the make-up that man can make, but if you can't look inside you and find out who am I to be in the position to make me feel unpretty."
However, the song that made me decide to write today's post was "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera. I read today of a supossed physical struggle that Christina has lived with. If what I read is true, I share this same struggle with Christina. It is a struggle that makes you doubt your beauty, your self-worth, lowers your self-esteem; while making you feel alone, ashamed and embarrassed. The disorder, which I have talked about to only a few, is Trichotillomania (TTM). More people suffer from TTM than Bipolar Disorder; however, TTM is very rarely talked about. It affects your physical appearance; which makes people not want to talk about it when we live in a society when our physical appearance is everything.
Between what I am learning from my Mrs. Colorado friends and in my psychology classes, I think it imporant to talk about this issue and bring it to everyone's attention. I have to give props to Miss Delaware, Kayla Martell, who suffers from alopecia and competed in the Miss Delaware USA Pageant a number of times without a wig before winning in 2010, wearing her wig. Miss Martell has brought alopecia to the public's awareness and I'm often amazed at how it takes someone in the spotlight to get attention on certain topics. My hope is that if someone reading this is struggling with their self-esteem, they will realize that no matter what their condition, appearance or circumstance; they are not alone and we each have our own issues and struggles and that regardless of what anyone else may think.....WE ARE BEAUTIFUL!

I leave you with Christina's "Beautiful" video and the link for more info on TTM.

Remember "YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL NO MATTER WHAT THEY SAY."

http://www.trich.org/
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAfyFTzZDMM