Our Worst Enemies

My Facebook Newsfeed has been covered with the Dove Beauty Debate.

It's a fairly powerful video for those who have every felt ugly. Most of us recognize this is untrue, but it's a message that is deeply ingrained. It is unacceptable in many cultures to be confident in one's looks. Our superficial self is less important than how we act "beauty is only skin deep".

Women learn to go to the washroom in groups and complain about our appearances. I remember being so proud of myself for dancing with a boy for the first time in 7th grade but feeling an overwhelming need to put myself down while in the washroom with the grade 8s. It's not like I was tied up and told that I was unattractive. Since I was able to pay attention I was susceptible to all the messages about what beauty is. I was not beautiful.

Speaking of these messages, what about those Ax ads? You know, the ones where women go running after boys who spray themselves with Ax body spray? Yuck. Unfortunately, Ax is owned by Unilever, the same company that owns Dove. Does it matter? I don't think so. The message of the Dove ad is just as valid.

A counter ad has also been making the rounds. Personally, I don't think they get it. It's about how guys are self confident and women try to make them feel bad about themselves. Thanks for supporting the previous ad.

Why does this matter? So what if women secretly think they are pretty but are afraid to admit it in public? There are thousands of articles on pubmed looking at the correlation between low self esteem and health, they speak for themselves. Women in my office have a hard time telling me what it is that is actually bothering them because they don't consider themselves important enough to take up my time. I'm astounded by the number of women I've seen in my very short career who have ignored the signs of cancer until it is too late to do anything.

We are taught in med school to address the patient as a whole. Is there a link between feeling beautiful and caring for one's health? There may be. Honestly though, I didn't find as much evidence as I expected. There are many studies on eating disorders and body image, as well as self esteem and cancer and sexual dysfunction.

Helping parents to raise men and women who are strong, who love themselves, and who will treat their bodies well is important to me as a family doc. I'm happy to see my colleagues, family, and friends debating the topic.