Most people who are involved in a school sport will tell you to join them in the fun, but you may be apprehensive at first. This is normal, most people are, but there are so many benefits of being involved in a school sport that you should be taking advantage of.
You can get out of gym class, this is big for me. Freshman and sophomore year I didn't have to take any gym classes because I was involved in two school sports those years (volleyball and tennis freshman year and Cross country and tennis the next year.)
I got two sports waivers and one academic waiver for doing this, so I had extra room in my schedule to take another class. I replaced what would have been gym (some sort of running) with photography, something I'm really interested in. That class was so much fun and I got to meet so many new people. Which brings me to my next point, meeting people!
You can easily use joining a new team as a way to meet people you otherwise wouldn't have. It brings people together who already have a common interest, sports! So since you already have things in common with them, it is easy to bond and create lasting friendships.
I have met many people, who I am still friends with today, on a sports team years ago, as well as people just this year and made a new friendship. Its never too late to go out and try to make a new friend, and joining a sports team with girls you like will only bring you even closer together!
Joining a team is also obviously great for your fitness and health. There are many benefits to staying active and join a sport combines these with having fun and meeting people! This article talks about all the benefits of exercising daily. For me personally, it makes me feel more energized and happy through out the day, as well as increasing my stamina, which in turn helps me play my sport better! I also enjoy playing tennis and running, so that is an added bonus. :-)
I hope reading this has given you a good impression on what going out for a sports team can do for you, and I hope every one who likes athletics goes of for their school's team!
Word count: 404
Monday, April 6, 2015
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Are women their own worst critic?
Lately I have been doing a lot of posts regarding self confidence and body image. This may be because I have been doing a lot of self evaluating lately and trying to come to terms with and appreciate who I am and what I have to offer the world. During my little scavenger hunt over the web, I found an old Dove commercial from 2013 that fits this week's common theme.
This commercial, not surprisingly, got sucked into a lot of controversy over its main "goal" which was to make women realize that they are their own worst critic and they need to appreciate themselves more. The problem with this is while it may have good intentions, it kind of misses the mark. Telling women they are critiquing themselves instead of the media telling them their appearance is off par doesn't make a person feel any better. I think this commercial does a lot of things right. The music is sentimental, the camera angles are great and they capture some really emotional moments for the women in this "experiment" (real or not) they seemed really moved by this experience. It actually makes me curious how a person would describe me to a sketch artist and what features they would pick to stand out.
The downside to this commercial in my opinion is that they paint the first picture drawn in a bad light, making it seem as if it's less attractive than the second, which isn't necessarily true. Also this video does a slim job in the diversity category. Most of the participants shown are caucasian and thin with blonde hair and blue eyes. This commercials idea of a "real beautiful women" is what most people see when they open the magazines that make them hate themselves in the first place. And of course those girls have insecurities too, but it almost defeats the message. If the aim of this ad is to make everyone realize their true beauty, then why are we only focusing on a small branch of the huge tree that is the diverse population of women all over the world?
At the end of the day, while this commercial may be moving to some, it could also be discouraging to others. Women can be their worst critic, but we can also be our best friend.
Word count: 393
This commercial, not surprisingly, got sucked into a lot of controversy over its main "goal" which was to make women realize that they are their own worst critic and they need to appreciate themselves more. The problem with this is while it may have good intentions, it kind of misses the mark. Telling women they are critiquing themselves instead of the media telling them their appearance is off par doesn't make a person feel any better. I think this commercial does a lot of things right. The music is sentimental, the camera angles are great and they capture some really emotional moments for the women in this "experiment" (real or not) they seemed really moved by this experience. It actually makes me curious how a person would describe me to a sketch artist and what features they would pick to stand out.
The downside to this commercial in my opinion is that they paint the first picture drawn in a bad light, making it seem as if it's less attractive than the second, which isn't necessarily true. Also this video does a slim job in the diversity category. Most of the participants shown are caucasian and thin with blonde hair and blue eyes. This commercials idea of a "real beautiful women" is what most people see when they open the magazines that make them hate themselves in the first place. And of course those girls have insecurities too, but it almost defeats the message. If the aim of this ad is to make everyone realize their true beauty, then why are we only focusing on a small branch of the huge tree that is the diverse population of women all over the world?
At the end of the day, while this commercial may be moving to some, it could also be discouraging to others. Women can be their worst critic, but we can also be our best friend.
Word count: 393
Fake tanning?
I've had strong opinions about this for a long time, but never thought about blogging about it.
This weekend I came across this video about fake tanning and it struck me this would be the perfect time for an opinion throw down.
There are different types of "fake tanning," you can do it on a bed with bright lights, or these days, even out of a bottle. This phenomenon that affects girls all over has always rubbed me the wrong way. Why would we want to change the tone of our skin, even if its harmless in the long run, or especially if it is?
Companies like Neutrogena make spray on tans that require no sun exposure. You just spray it on your skin and rub it in. Seems easy enough, if you manage to make it even enough to look real and don't ruin any articles of clothing in the process. But why pay $10 for a bottle of brown skin spray paint? All too often the aftermath is a streaky, yellow toned mess on your skin, and that is not flattering. Thats not to mention the terrible smell and how long you have to let it sit on your skin before you can wash it off. People have all different skin tones and that is what makes this world so amazing, variety. Embracing your natural skin tone is part of having self confidence isn't it?
I find it even worse when people will actually pay money to sit in a tanning bed. Pay money to literally lay down and ask for skin cancer. Don't get me wrong, I love being sun kissed after a day in the hot sun, but why not go get some fresh air instead of faking it?
And if your excuse is that its too cold or the sun isn't out yet, then why would you want to get a fake tan anyway, it looks so unnatural.
Everyone I know or have heard talking about fake tanning complains about how expensive it is, how annoying it is to reapply, and how hard it is to find makeup products to match their color. I don't know why you would go to all the trouble. Try loving your skin instead of putting through all these harsh and completely unnecessary treatments, feeling comfortable and happy in your own skin can be fun!
Word count: 399
This weekend I came across this video about fake tanning and it struck me this would be the perfect time for an opinion throw down.
There are different types of "fake tanning," you can do it on a bed with bright lights, or these days, even out of a bottle. This phenomenon that affects girls all over has always rubbed me the wrong way. Why would we want to change the tone of our skin, even if its harmless in the long run, or especially if it is?
Companies like Neutrogena make spray on tans that require no sun exposure. You just spray it on your skin and rub it in. Seems easy enough, if you manage to make it even enough to look real and don't ruin any articles of clothing in the process. But why pay $10 for a bottle of brown skin spray paint? All too often the aftermath is a streaky, yellow toned mess on your skin, and that is not flattering. Thats not to mention the terrible smell and how long you have to let it sit on your skin before you can wash it off. People have all different skin tones and that is what makes this world so amazing, variety. Embracing your natural skin tone is part of having self confidence isn't it?
I find it even worse when people will actually pay money to sit in a tanning bed. Pay money to literally lay down and ask for skin cancer. Don't get me wrong, I love being sun kissed after a day in the hot sun, but why not go get some fresh air instead of faking it?
And if your excuse is that its too cold or the sun isn't out yet, then why would you want to get a fake tan anyway, it looks so unnatural.
Everyone I know or have heard talking about fake tanning complains about how expensive it is, how annoying it is to reapply, and how hard it is to find makeup products to match their color. I don't know why you would go to all the trouble. Try loving your skin instead of putting through all these harsh and completely unnecessary treatments, feeling comfortable and happy in your own skin can be fun!
Word count: 399
Confidence
It seems like these days it can be hard to have self confidence with all of the media telling us how we should look. And as time passes the situation gets worse and worse for people (girls specifically) at younger and younger ages. I read an article about this controversy and it made me sad.
I remember when I was little, I didn't worry about things like my weight or hair color, I was happy with who I was in general. 13 year old girls should be having fun growing up, not constantly worrying if their appearance fits some kind of mold. Girls are being pushed by the media to transform themselves so that others will like them, and it's causing insecurities that don't need to exist.
The truth is the girls in the magazines don't even look like the girls in the magazines. Photoshop can be deceiving, and even troublesome for girls who are already insecure about themselves.
When I look at my sister, a 13 year old in the 7th grade, I see a whole different person than who I was back then. I like to think she is just taking after me, but in reality she's taking after the media, wearing smaller tighter clothes that are more revealing, complaining about the way her thighs look. She is 13. She has the world at her feet, just like all of these other girls who are too busy looking in the mirror hating what they see to realize that the reflection only tells a small fraction of the story of the person they really are.
I may sound hypocritical as I blog about appearance being superficial one moment and the best products to keep your hair in tact the next, but the truth is, feeling beautiful isn't about trying to look like the people in magazines, or changing who you are, it's about what makes you feel confident.
Its waring bright colors because it makes you happy. This day in age, self confidence is the best beauty product any girl can have.
Word count: 347
I remember when I was little, I didn't worry about things like my weight or hair color, I was happy with who I was in general. 13 year old girls should be having fun growing up, not constantly worrying if their appearance fits some kind of mold. Girls are being pushed by the media to transform themselves so that others will like them, and it's causing insecurities that don't need to exist.
The truth is the girls in the magazines don't even look like the girls in the magazines. Photoshop can be deceiving, and even troublesome for girls who are already insecure about themselves.
When I look at my sister, a 13 year old in the 7th grade, I see a whole different person than who I was back then. I like to think she is just taking after me, but in reality she's taking after the media, wearing smaller tighter clothes that are more revealing, complaining about the way her thighs look. She is 13. She has the world at her feet, just like all of these other girls who are too busy looking in the mirror hating what they see to realize that the reflection only tells a small fraction of the story of the person they really are.
I may sound hypocritical as I blog about appearance being superficial one moment and the best products to keep your hair in tact the next, but the truth is, feeling beautiful isn't about trying to look like the people in magazines, or changing who you are, it's about what makes you feel confident.
Its waring bright colors because it makes you happy. This day in age, self confidence is the best beauty product any girl can have.
Word count: 347
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