There are green eyes, brown eyes, wide-open noses, pointed noses, curly hair, straight hair, dark skin, white skin, freckled skin, tall, short... So why, when we are asked “what’s beauty,” do we think of a model or famous actress who looks a certain way? Our image of beauty has become distorted. How could there be just one kind of beauty if each person is unique and those differences are what make us truly beautiful?

Take action around this issue. Host an awareness exercise on positive self-image:

1. Gather a group of friends and find a place to host the event.
2. Ask participants to draw themselves and fill a chart with things they both like and dislike about themselves.
3. Ask them to write their names on the self-portraits and collect them.
4. Then, assign pairs randomly (trying to make sure that they don’t know each other), tell them to introduce themselves and write the names of their partner on the piece of paper.
5. Tell the group to draw their partner and fill the chart once again but this time only with things they really like about the partner’s physical appearance/the things they first noticed when they saw them.
6. Make them switch partners and repeat the last step.
7. Collect all of the drawings and put the three depictions of each person together.
8. Call each person to the front and have them paste their pictures on a board. We tend to be our biggest critics. Having these two additional images will be an eye-opening experience that allows each individual to see themselves from a new perspective.
9. Close by reflecting on the activity and any new outlooks people may have on self-image.

Get the facts about body image. GO [2]