Last weekend was no different. A friend of Steve's extended an invitation for us to go boating with him and a group of friends. The thought of a day on the water with a Corona and a raft sounded delightful, BUT before getting on the boat, I had to rally all the self confidence I could muster. This weekend while at the pool, dodging the splashes of small children jumping in around me to preserve my straightened hair, I began to think about the self esteem and body image of the blind.
How does it differ? If you have been blind your whole life, how does the lack of media images of the ideal body affect you? For those who lost their sight later in life, how does the loss of vision contribute to or diminish your self confidence?
I would have to imagine that never having to see a Victoria Secret catalog, or a Sports Illustrated Swim suit edition wouldn't be a bad thing, or would it?
(picture of Heidi Klum in a bathing suit in a hammock)
I'm really not sure. I am having a hard time wiping out the fixated images of Heidi Klum and other beach-perfect models and celebrities whose figures are portrayed as perfect. If the media does not a contribute to one's self image, then what factors are most influential?
Oh, how I related to this post, Adrienne! I spent a rather harrowing day today trying to buy a decent bra. For most women, summertime is synonymous with spaghetti straps and sexy tube tops. Not for me! My very first bathing suit had darts. Yes, darts! I was the laughing stock of my 8th grade swim trip and I was mortified that my mother actually bought the suit for me. Add red hair and freckles (at a time when neither was was cool) to the bathing suit drama and boobs that entered a room before I did, and well, I pretty much wanted to hide from the age of 12 until about 30. (Being a Catholic Yankee at Statesboro High School didn't help, either...)
ReplyDeleteMark once told me I'd love turning 50. I did not believe him then; I do now. There's something liberating (in all my vanity) about seeing body parts in different places than I'm used to seeing them and knowing there's not a damn thing I can do about them. ;) (Patti)
Not many people know that I am legally blind. Fortunately for me, I am able to correct my eyesight with contacts. However, when I was a child on the beach disposable contacts did not exist and at $100 a pop I was not allowed to wear my contacts in the ocean.
ReplyDeleteI loved to go swimming. So I would hit the water, turn around and pick out the blobs of color I thought was my family. I always felt self conscious about how far I was drifting or whether or not I had lost site of my "home base." On one occasion I went to the wrong cabana. Embarrassing.
When I would come back on the beach and put on my glasses, I would become more self conscious about my appearance, my bathing suit etc...
I am not sure what role the media plays, but in my experience insecurities are there regardless of our circumstances. The difference is that the insecurities vary based on our abilities at any given moment.
I too have struggled with self-esteem issues throughout the years - so it is nice to read that other people experience the same thing. Makes you feel not as alone! I definitely think that I wouldn't have such a complex if I didn't constantly compare myself to air-brushed celebrities in magazines. The influence from friends to stay a certain way has also plagued me in the past.
ReplyDeleteAs a post modern man, I spend a lot of my days at Carowinds with my children. The first thing we do is hit the water park. I hate taking off my shirt in public. Although I am losing weight, I am not where I want to be. Also, I hate settling for a farmers tan simply because I am too insecure to show my belly in public. I imagine if I was blind, I wouldn't care what others think because my self-concept wouldn't be centered on the airbrushed version of the rock hard abs we see in magazines. Instead, what really matters, who I am and what I stand for would tell the story I really cared about. Tomorrow, before class, I will blind the folks at Carowinds and tan my belly. :)
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