Beauty. Who gets to decide what is beautiful?
Why do we choose to modify our bodies with make-up, surgery and the ever-changing new diet craze in order to fit into a 'beauty ideal'? Our perspectives are changed and influenced by those around us, who seem to make us forget what we already know- that we are all different and unique.
The media, I think we can all agree, plays a big part in influencing our decisions on what we should all agree on as 'beautiful'. We are bombard with images of airbrushed celebrities and supermodels that give us an unattainable beauty ideal.We all know the photographs aren’t realistic and in their true form, yet we still conform to the beliefs that this is the ideal we should be aspiring to. Beauty shouldn’t be limited to what our culture and society has decided but instead celebrated for its uniqueness and individuality.
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| Pamina Brassey ©Ragged Crow |
Perhaps it is only when you’re faced with a
life-changing experience that you truly appreciate your body for what it can be
and how it can survive, not just what it looks like. How often do you look in the mirror wishing
you could alter, nip and tuck your body to fit these beauty ideals? And how
often do you admire your body and thank it for keeping you alive?
Pamina does. Pamina Brassey is a breast
cancer survivor, a beautiful, confident woman who didn’t let her experience get
the better of her. ‘The catastrophic blow of a cancer diagnosis is a huge set
back, my confidence waned and I felt like a neutered cat, grateful to be alive.
It took time to get myself back to where I was before surgery.’
In 2010, 49,564 women heard the phrase,
‘you have breast cancer’. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, but
8 out of 10 women survive and triumph over the illness, Pamina is just one
them.
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| Pamina Brassey ©Ragged Crow |
‘The breast is an object of female beauty
and male adoration, losing one made me question my sexuality.’ Gender is a
social construct, an idea that has been created by society allowing us to
understand the idea of men and women by categorising us. Women have a slim hourglass figure, men are physically strong and
tough. So does the absence of breasts make a woman no longer a woman? Hell no!
Pamina Brassey explains, ‘Cancer isn’t sexy but survival is.’ A phrase that can be used as an inspiration to many women out there experiencing cancer themselves.
We can’t keep hating ourselves and wishing for better, we're stuck together for life so why not enjoy it and appreciate it. Let’s start to concentrate on the positives and our favourite things about our body, whether that is a physical trait or a personality trait. Pamina believes that ‘beauty is within and a glorious state of mind. It’s something you find within yourself and cherish. It’s the glow of happiness through self fulfillment.’
So who is deciding who is beautiful? I am
certainly not prepared to have my mind controlled by someone behind a desk that
criticises women on their looks making us believe we don’t fit in. I want to
have a say, and hey, I say everyone is beautiful and you should believe in
yourself as much as your body and I do. Pamina sometimes has to ‘put on a brave
face and get on with it.’ So, despite the lump and bumps and the oddities that
you would rather live without, be proud of the skin your in.
Does Pamina’s fight and determination make
you feel proud of your body and what it can do? Doesn’t it make you want to
‘stick it to the man’ and be proud of your female beauty no matter what size or
shape you are?
So lets show some girl power and choose to
love and respect our figures and promise to always stand by our body just like
it has always been there for us.
