Lady Gaga, Beauty, and Body Image

source: insightzonecoach.com

Yet another one. 

Another woman flogged publicly by the media for her appearance. 

Last month it was Lady Gaga, chastised for her recent weight gain of 25 lbs.  Maybe you saw it too?  And yesterday it was Christina Aguilera (again).      

Having struggled with an eating disorder since she was 15, Lady Gaga struck back last month by launching "A Body Revolution 2013' on her blog, www.littlemonsters.com.  There she posted revealing pictures of herself scantily clothed and encouraging others to 'be brave' and 'celebrate your perceived flaws by posting their own photos.'  CNN covered the story on September 28.  MTV highlighted some of the positives of the "Little Monsters Body Revolution" campaign on October 9. 

People magazine described the response to the Little Monster's Body Revolution campaign: Unsurprisingly, the Mother Monster’s positive message resonated with her Little Monsters. Soon after the post went up, fans began flooding the website with photos of themselves in their underwear and sharing their own personal struggles with body image issues.

Lady Gaga wrote to her fans, "You are proud to be born this way, and brave in your vulnerability with this community.  Watching you all create a safe space online for people to be compassionate is the greatest gift you could ever give me."

Setting aside how ill-advised and unwise it is for anyone to post scantily clad photos of themselves online, {mind you, to join the 'safe space online' all you have to do is sign in with your facebook, twitter, or email}, I've got to believe there's a better way for us to embrace 'real women' than look at each other in our skivvies.  Don't you? 

How about if we 'get brave' by examining our hearts? 

This battle, the objectifying of women, the pitting us against one another and the ways we turn on one another, the persistent search for unattainable beauty, the consistent paranoia and fear of losing our loved ones, our careers, our influence, and our status if we lose beauty, it is not a new thing. This is a battle of long suffering, affecting each and every one of us. 

One out of every four women in college struggles with an eating disorder. 
53% of thirteen year old girls are unhappy with their bodies. 
7% of 12th grade males have tried steroids to become more muscular.

These are just three.  Read more statistics at Do Something and Heart of Leadership.

This is not a new war.  But it is a worsening one.

This past April Ashley Judd (whom I've always seen as darling and gorgeous) was ripped apart by the media for her 'puffy face' while promoting her new TV series, Missing.  She responded BRILLIANTLY over at The Daily Beast.  

She argues: "The insanity has to stop, because as focused on me as it appears to have been, it is about all girls and women.  In fact, it's about boys and men too, who are equally objectified and ridiculed, according to heteronormative definitions of masculinity that deny the full and dynamic range of their personhood.  It affects each and every one of us, in multiple and nefarious ways: our self-image, how we show up in our relationships and at work, our sense of worth, value, and potential as human beings.  Join in--and help change--the Conversation."

What she's saying is, you may not care what the media writes about Lady Gaga or Christina Aguilera or Tyra or Ashley herself, but our culture's obsession with beauty, weight, and the external affects each and every one of us. 

How has it affected you? 

I consider myself a confident woman, but can I tell you the number of times I've looked in the mirror and thought how completely average I am? Or the number of times I've squeezed the extra skin on my arms and thighs, swearing to myself I will eat less so that I am more--more desired, more loveable, more deserving? Or the number of times I've sat with girlfriends talking about diet and the foreboding swimsuit season and how much we all dread it, even though it's but 6 months away.  Or the few windows in my past where I was hyper conscious about calorie intake and how exercise and food became my god. 

Our struggle is not against flesh and blood. 

This skin, it is just skin. 
This face, it is just face. 
This form, it's just a temporary dwelling. 

We know this.  We do. 

Lady Gaga's community of 'little monsters' is nothing compared to the community of Jesus.

Yet we live in this world.  Right now.  And this world, it can be cruel, especially when it comes to our appearance.  How are we to 'join the conversation and help change?'  This is the question I've been mulling over all day. 

For me, I believe it starts with validation.  I acknowledge that it's wrong and hurtful if and when I ridicule anyone for how they look, whether it's Lady Gaga, the little girl that lives two houses down, the awkward 17 year-old at church, the homeless guy at the pharmacy, and even my own self.  I'm talking about all people, tearing down the external.  Nobody deserves it.  Nobody.

And then I choose belief.

Belief that each and every one of us are loved wholly and perfectly as we are. 

Not because of how we look.
Or what we do.
Or who we know.
Or how much money we have in the bank.
Or the size of our jeans.
Or our IQ.
Or the talents we possess.
Or the number of friends we have on Facebook.

But because of Him and Who He is. 

He doesn't play favorites or judge our worth by our external.  He looks at the heart. 

We are in a battle.  Our fight is with the media and with culture, but we also fight ourselves, our own fleshly desire to be popular, beautiful, thin, attractive, noticed, envied, influential, important.  If we explore this honestly, we discover we are not just victims here.  We are also participants. 

All the motivation I need to yield my sword in this battle is in the faces of these people, my beautiful children.  They are the motivation to fight for change.  To demand more of the culture we're living in.  And to remind myself over and over again that God is the One Who defines beauty.

What is your motivation to fight?  Do you find yourself drawn to or pressured by our culture's definition of beauty?   Do you struggle with believing each of us are loved wholly and perfectly as we are? 

Additional Reading:
CNN's "Are we really ready to take a look at real women?"
CNN's "Defining the new male ideal"
Divine Caroline "Girl Power: 9 Ways To Build Your Daughter's Self Esteem" [I would add a 10th way, that is, introduce her to JESUS because His love is perfect.]
Sharon Hodde Miller: "Hypocrisy and Authenticity: A Lesson from Lady Gaga"