We are all familiar with the story of Cinderella and how she was treated by her stepmother. Wikipedia says “The word “cinderella” has, by analogy, come to mean one whose attributes are unrecognized and… neglected.”
Many of us treat our bodies in a way similar to how Cinderella was treated by her stepmother. We try to ignore them –we do anything to avoid acknowledging them. We might even resent our bodies and how they make us feel.
It’s not our fault that we neglect or feel resentment toward our bodies. We’ve learned to feel this way from the media, advertising, and our socialization.
Advertisements are contemporary versions of fairy tales we read as children but with a twist. While fairy tales are meant to entertain and tell a story, advertising can be an insidious form of manipulation.
Think about all of the advertising we’ve seen aimed to promote feelings of shame so we will buy their solution and finally be “acceptable.” Images featuring thin and beautiful women as our standard are everywhere.
This contemporary form of a fairy tale hopes that we’ll identify with and hope to become the heroine so we’ll purchase their products. But this tale doesn’t lead to real self-worth – or lasting self-care.
The ending of our contemporary story can parallel the original one: after much neglect, Cinderella achieves the recognition and success she deserves. After a lifetime of neglecting and resenting our bodies, we can begin to recognize the true value and worth of our bodies. We can make lifestyle changes out of self-appreciation and respect.
This new thinking is almost magical. It will not only cultivate lasting motivation for our own self-care, it also transforms our lives in the ways we’ve yearned for and deserve.
Unlike Cinderella, though, you don’t have to fit into any glass slipper to have your life transformed. You just have to choose to think differently. The choice is yours.
Feel free to share this post with others who share your interest in the science-based how-to’s of creating lasting changes that can survive in the real world.
Copyright © Segar, Michelle.