Beauty is as beauty does

So, when I started this post today it was with the intent to mock the "fashions" from Fashion Week in New York. I always find it so ridiculous what overpriced designers think that working women can or will wear to work. It's a breeding ground for mockery.

But then I started mulling the mystique of female beauty. My mulling became hightened during the Dove ads that played during the Super Bowl, with their new advertising campaign focusing on self-esteem in girls -- specifically the statistic that states 92 percent of girls want to change at least one aspect of their appearance.

Couple that with an article I read recently about eating disorders in female athletes, and the death of feminist writer Betty Friedan and I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about how women worry.

Don’t be mistaken, I fit firmly in this category. I hate my naturally curly hair, despite the fact that I receive compliments on it daily. I despise my excess baby weight even though my man loves my curves. I loathe my freckles all the while they make me look younger than my 30-plus years.

And, meanwhile, my beautiful 14-year-old niece barely eats in order to maintain a perfectly flawless figure.

Where does it stem – this desire for unachievable perfectionism? The media? Movie star mania? I would love to blame this one on George W. Bush, but I can’t this time.

Sadly this plight fits squarely on the shoulders of women themselves. We’ve moved from glass ceilings to weight watchers. We’ve challenged the working world only to find ourselves still trapped by the cosmetic one.

So in honor of Betty Friedan and the movement she started, I challenge you, dear reader, to look at women around you and find one thing that is beautiful about them. Look for a charming smile, creamy skin, thick silky hair, beautiful breasts, an infectious laugh, slender delicate fingers or the most well-turned ankle you’ve ever seen.

When I think about it, there is something beautiful in every woman I know. For example, my friend Catherine is beautiful. She thinks she needs to lose weight but she has wonderful hair and this great curvy figure, not to mention a kick-ass sarcastic wit. I think she's divine.

Just look beyond hips and thighs and realize what you're really looking at – an amazing and perfectly unique person. This week, challenge the supposition that gaunt cheeks and protruding ribs are the essence of beauty. And compliment a women you know, we love that shit!