Photoshop Ruined my Self-Esteem

self-es·teem (noun)  1. confidence in one’s own worth or abilities; self-respect.

Those poor woman, back in the 1500’s, who couldn’t reach the glorious standard of painted artist’s visions of perfect women. How did they ever deal with their low self-esteem developed from comparing to the strokes of an artist?!

Confidence is sexy. Not to be confused with arrogance.

Society may not like me for this post since it goes against popular belief of “Photoshop ruined my self-estem”, but that may, honestly, be the biggest cop-out I have ever heard.

Does auto-tune cause one to have self esteem issues? Let me assure you, I cannot sing to save my life. Auto-Tune wouldn’t even be able to save my voice from making your ears bleed. To top it all off, I come from a family of talented singers! So the pressure to have a perfect voice overflowing with harmony surely exploded in my face when I let out my first screeching note and tried to clap along to a beat… When I hear people sing amazing – I do not think of myself as less of a person, I do not get jealous; instead I appreciate their talents (auto-tuned or not).

What you see pictured below is me with a mass of make-up on my (photoshopped) face, an overtly sexy outfit on a rockin’ hot (photoshopped) body in which I have actually had people tell me “That looks nothing like you.”

Roland Moriarty – Mayhem #2280234

Oh my God, Becky, look at her butt.

Of all people to claim low self-esteem from such unrealistic expectations – would it not be the model who had to go through the society’s sigh of missed expectation when she walks out the door actually looking like a disastrous mess of a human we all are; hair in ponytail, sweatpants on, acne, no make-up, dark circles under her eyes…

Many (not all) of my photos undergo rigorous Photoshop in order to create the artists  desired image. I’m the one IN these photos. When I wake up in the morning, walk past a mirror and see the un-Photoshop version of me – I do not suddenly shriek back, withering away with my low self esteem, due to unmet perfection.

I go to work everyday with no make-up on and I have acne on my face and cellulite on my ass – and I’m as still confident as you would come to believe the apparently flawless woman in the images you see pictured would be (Still even after someone tells me again “But seriously, this picture looks nothing like you!).

Gulf Coast in Focus

It is called “self” esteem, it is how you feel about your “self”. YOU are responsible for your happiness. YOU are responsible for the highs and lows of your self-esteem. Not your friends or media or your partner or your family. Blaming media for poor self-esteem is a way of casting off responsibility for ones self. Work on YOUR self-esteem. Stop comparing yourself to others, and instead work on bettering yourself only compared to the YOU of yesterday.

If you allow the world to dictate how you feel about yourself, you will live hating the very skin you were born in.

• Help build self-esteem by developing a positive attitude
• Reject the desire to compare yourself to others or make unrealistic and unhealthy expectations
• Act with confidence to lead in your communities
• Identify adults who can act as role models
• Act as positive role models for younger girls

Note: Struggling with Low Self Esteem and Depression is very real, and should be diagnosed and treated by a medical professional. If you, or a loved one, are struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts then you should seek professional counseling.