Transcriber: Tài Phạm Reviewer: Larisa Esteche
Today, we exist in a world that if we don't like something, we can change it,
if someone else doesn't like something, we will change it.
We exist in a world where feeling happy about ourselves isn't enough
and we're forever pleasing others before we even try to please ourselves.
And that’s wrong. How many times have you stood in front of the mirror
and told yourself that you're amazing? You're wonderful.
And the best version of you to ever exist?
I can imagine is not very often or perhaps never.
In fact, only four percent of women cast themselves as beautiful.
Now, I can tell you, every single person in this room is beautiful.
Beauty is the qualities that we choose to shape and color that pleases
the ascetic senses. But it's not only this.
It's also the journeys that we've been on. And the stories that we've told.
As a society today, we spend ages trying to promote this concept of body image,
but by calling up bodies images, we’re objectifying ourselves.
And no wonder why we can't feel good about who we are.
Our bodies are the stories of our lives, how we dress is who we are.
How we act is who we are. And even the way we talk shows who we are now,
the way we act and talk can't be seen in one single image.
But these can be seen in a journey or a story.
We’ve all been walking through the street
and said, “Oh, look,
so-and-so is really beautiful” and get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong with this.
But we’ve also compared ourselves to so-called beautiful person. Who are we to
predetermine if they're truly beautiful without knowing them,
without knowing their story?
Consistently during our lives, we used words like pretty attractive,
cute and fit. But what do these words really mean
and how do they affect our confidence?
Well, I’d say pretty and attractive are used in the same context most of the time.
But these have got completely different meanings.
Attractive means to be appealing, to look up,
and pretty means to be attractive in
a delicate way without being truly beautiful.
Now, many women feel being called pretty is a compliment,
but think it's also confirming these stereotypes that women should be
sophisticated, mature and act like young ladies.
Whereas many men feel being called pretty is an insult.
The same goes for cute and fit.
As a society, we've changed the meanings of words,
of the words to what we want it to be,
and everyone around us just go with the flow. What do you think cute means?
Does it mean to be a little fluffy teddy bear
or does it mean to be good looking? Actually, it means to be good looking.
Now, many men feel being called cute is an insult,
but it's someone just calling them good looking.
And as a world, we need to look back on these real definitions of
the words we're using, because what you might perceive as compliment,
someone else might not. Social media is a huge part of our lives.
We’ve all hold dreams in that one girl or maybe boy that we want to look like.
But what makes them so special that makes us really want to be them?
Is it because they've got nice hair, a nice nose and a flat stomach?
Or is it because of their love and generosity inside?
Now, social media is great at creating fake stories that make people want to
change. It's also great at creating unrealistic expectations
for society to follow. It's allowing us to live the life we want to live,
not the life we’re living.
We’re always at some point guilty of editing
a photo to show it to people who we want to be, right?
Well, this is because when we're about to post something,
there’s a so-called success criteria that shows who you should follow.
I can’t post if I’m not skin enough.
My head isn’t nice enough. I don’t get tanned enough.
But why are we scared to show off who we are?
The power of social media today is allowing us to hide behind
the screens of our phones without the fear of being judged or harassed to
the people who truly are. It's proven that people who post more about
themselves are more insecure than someone who isn’t so they can get
the satisfaction from others. They maybe need to feel good about themselves.
But we shouldn't need someone else to tell us this.
If someone else can tell us that we look great in a picture,
then there’s no reason why we can’t tell ourselves first.
Since the beginning of 2020,
the world we live in has become a completely different planet,
moss and now a necessity to outfit a sanitizer is a must have in our bags.
But how has this pandemic affected the way that we all view ourselves?
Like me, many of us have been locked up in our houses and able to do
the things that we love. So instead,
we've sat on our couches instead of our phones.
People have said that during the pandemic,
the social media consumption has risen to 72 percent.
And along with this rise, the expectations have also risen.
But not only this, people have had the time to find the flaws
and insecurities that they don't like about themselves. This isn't everyone.
Some people have also used this time to find
the things that they love about themselves and
the things that they truly love to do.
Throughout life, there are specific stereotypes, associate women their body.
But someone shouldn’t be determined on what they can do just because they look
a certain way. I'm sorry. I can almost guarantee that everyone in this room at
some point has been subjected to name calling. This is myself included.
Now, I'm not one of the smallest people alive. I'm bigger than some class average.
But who told me what average is?
Each time I get called a horrible word, I turn it into something positive.
I mean, yeah, of course it bothers me.
But there are millions people out there who think I'm beautiful
and it's one person who thinks they can be mean and mock me.
I'm a keen sportswomen. I play netball, dance, swimming, athletics, football,
cheerleading, and the list goes on.
But looking at me, you probably think I don’t.
Just me being big mean a guarantee weird looks when I tell people that
I enjoy to play sports.
I’ve also had people seem shocked when I say I eat salads.
In fact, salads are one of my favorite meals.
But again, just me being big means I can only like chocolate donuts and McDonald’s.
This is what bothers me. Why does one have to determine what another can do?
Just because they look different to themselves,
why am I supposedly not allowed to wear tight clothes?
Is it because I don’t have a flat stomach and I’ve got rolls?
Well, what’s the point of clothes being different sizes?
Now, I'm a very confident person.
But some people might find my confidence is me trying to hide who I am.
But I'm just confident. I'm big and I'm beautiful. I love who I am.
And we all love who we are. If everyone wore the same in the world we live in,
it would be a very boring place, says all Scialfa beauties.
Whether it's a hair color or even the freckles on our faces,
this whole embrace who we are,
because it's any one of you out there today. And that's one here. There is hope.
And people have already started.
But remember, beauty is a thing that's internal and external.