BY CAREY SCOTT

The majority of us aren’t comfortable in our own skin. For most of my life, I’ve hated my body. Even at my very fittest, I saw so much room for improvement. I’ve tried speaking positive affirmations in the mirror – “Dang, girl! You’re looking good today!” – But it always felt awkward, and I struggled to believe it. I might be having an excellent hair day, but the jiggle in my arms unnerves me. Or my skin might be clear, but I notice one eye is smaller than the other. Nowadays, I can’t help but notice the wrinkles and sags. It’s a battle we can’t win.

The pressure to be beautiful is one of the biggest knots in our self-esteem. On average, we see about two thousand ads a day telling us what we should look like, and who we should be. And the ad campaigns are working, because the average woman will spend about $15,000 on cosmetics in her lifetime – with $3,770 for mascara alone. One study found that approximately 91 percent of women don’t like their bodies, and they diet in hopes of finding a way to feel good about the way they look.