Not long ago, I noticed a new follower on our @ednutrition Twitter account. @BeutifulMag had an intriguing sound, and sure enough, its web site turned out to be a welcome addition to the public conversation on body image and self-esteem.
Started by Patricia Colli over two years ago, the site at the moment mainly collects good content around the net on the subject of body image, self-esteem and the destructive effect of mass media on women’s conceptions of self, with positive, encouraging commentary on the articles. Beutiful Magazine’s tagline is “Embrace who you are with no apologies about who you’re not,” and its Facebook page explains, “Our purpose is to show how perfect and beautiful you really are—regardless of any society-made standard. By undefining, we are redefining.”
Colli, a Philadelphia graphic designer who will turn 26 this week, has been thinking about these issues for a long time. At the age of 8, she was a compulsive exerciser. She was short but didn’t care about that. Her weight was average, in fact she was on the thin side. Yet she thought she was fat and was self-conscious and self-critical. Her negative body image didn’t come from her family, which was supportive and nurturing, and in her strict Catholic home, TV viewing and access to fashion magazines was limited. She did read lots of fitness magazines, though, and fashion/beauty magazines whenever she could find them outside her home.
You can read the entire article by Nancy Matsumoto on Psychology Today!