BEAUTY IS THE BEAST

This jaw dropping video called "Onslaught" will hit you right in the gut and then make you want to cry. Especially if you have little girls. This is the newest short film in the Dove “real beauty” campaign. Be warned, portions of this video contain some rather brief “graphic” and “adult” images that I hope don’t cause offense to anyone but only serve to “wake us up” to this very serious problem.

This growing phenomenon is having a direct impact on girls’ self-image and even causing some to engage in destructive behavior. The Dove Self-Esteem Fund/Seventeen Body Image Survey also revealed:

• 93 percent of girls and young women report feeling anxiety or stress about some aspect of their looks when getting ready in the morning
• This could explain why more than 70 percent of girls and young women avoid activities when they feel bad about their looks including giving their opinion, attending school and even going to the doctor.
• 76 percent of girls and young women admit to partaking in unhealthy activities when they feel badly about their bodies
• 58 percent of girls describe themselves in negative terms, including words like “disgusting” and “ugly,” when feeling badly about themselves.
• Nearly four out of 10 engage in unhealthy eating behaviors, such as anorexia or bulimia.
• More than one out of 10 girls has used cutting or self-inflicted injury as a coping mechanism.
• The average person sees between 400 and 600 advertisements per day - equivalent to more than one message for every waking minute.
• The average US girl has the opportunity to see an estimated 77,546 commercials by the time she is 12 years old.

For more on this see CNN's article about this called: "Pressure to Look Perfect Drives Girls to Destructive Behavior"

I don't know about you, but the above stats make me sick to my stomach.

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." (Prov. 31:30)

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner-self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." (1 Peter 3:3-4)

Robert