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Unpretty and an Unlikely Film Book Therapy Session #tuesday #atozchallenge #april #atoz
Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 8:58PM 
“You can buy your hair if it won’t grow, you can fix your nose if you say so, you can buy all the makeup that M.A.C. can make but if you can’t look inside you, find out who am I too, be in a position to make me feel so damn unpretty. I’ll make you feel unpretty too.”
“Unpretty” by TLC is a nice song that I’ve enjoyed listening to on many occasions because its filled with self-esteem boosting messages -- their music video is also especially killer! If you have a weight or beauty complex, a birthmark that you’d like to get rid of, a tattoo that you wish you never got on your body or some other personal issue that makes you think or feel like you’re not good enough, then this tune is worth at least one play on your iPod, XM radio, Pandora radio, home stereo system or wherever you get your music fix.
The song reminds me of that feeling of wanting to change something about yourself so badly that you’re willing to do almost anything if it means you’ll be more attractive, taller, lighter, thinner, darker, smarter, faster, funnier, and the list goes on. It’s like the schoolgirl named Bonnie, played by Neve Campbell, in the fantasy horror film “The Craft.” Bonnie struggles with insecurities because she had severe scarring on her back. She turned to witchcraft to make these scars disappear, which they did, thanks to a beauty spell.
Since real life is rarely, if ever, like the movies, most of us do not have the resources to whip out a magic wand or spell and rid ourselves of any and all flaws that plague our mental or emotional well being.
We’re not witches like Bonnie and her friends in “The Craft” and we don’t Hogwarts professors to teach us fancy tricks for creating illusions of the mind. What we do have, however, is the ability to change our thinking from negative to positive with regards to how we feel about ourselves. Positive thinking includes nurturing all of the good about yourself that you can rather than feeding into viewpoints that don’t help you be the best YOU.
If you feel fat, for example, then do things that bring attention to other aspects of your body such as your hair or feet. In one of my favorite filmmaking books, authors Camille Landau and Tiare White says "Only wear (and only buy) clothes that make you feel sexy" in their chapter titled ‘Hype, for Cheap’ and "Don’t wear anything that makes you feel uncomfortable” in the chapter titled ‘It’s a Sad Dog Who Can’t Wag Its Own Tail.’
While the authors’ suggestions may have nothing technically to do with the filmmaking (or writing, singing, painting, etc.) process, they surely come in handy when you’re preparing for pitch sessions with people who are in a position to take your project to the next level or if you ever have to do a press interview for your screenplay (or book, sculpture, stage play, song, etc.) in front of dozens of people.
It’s much easier to focus on what’s really important if you’re not too busy trying to adjust the weird undergarments that the Bloomingdale's sales associate sold to you for 50% off and a promise that you’ll learn to like it and eventually own the look.
Have you ever felt Unpretty or like you wanted to be someone else?
Are you comfortable in the skin/body you’re in?
What makes YOU feel sexy?
What do YOU find sexy in other people?
I also chose the song “Can U Handle It” by Usher as an Honorable Mention for today’s ‘Letter U’ in the A to Z Challenge, because I listen to it more often than “Unpretty” and the artist’s name starts with a ‘U,’ and it’s a very sexy song!
Reader Comments (5)
Unpretty by TLC and Beautiful by Christina Aguillara are two songs that are my fall back tunes when - wish it was if - I have a moment where I'm not feeling okay with myself. Being of the "jollier" variety when it comes to size, I can feel where the young girl is coming from in the Unpretty video. All around her are images of beauty, things defining beauty as everything she physically is not. Hard place to be in with a soft body. Makes for a harder road to gain comfort with myself, which I'm learning to do, day by day, and making choices regarding weight so that it is better for my health instead of trying to meet some Hollywood standard of beauty. That shizz just is not happening lol!!!
Love love the song Unpretty by TLC, and yes, the video rocks.
I'm a tall woman, with big bones. Have always wanted to be a dainty little thing; learning to make my peace with the reality that's not who I'm going to be, in this life.
When you dig down deep, wanting to look a certain way isn't really about the look, it's about being loved/wanted. Which you can get regardless of how you look, and you can blow, regardless of how you look. But I think for women, being bombarded with photos and videos and images of what desirable is, it can be hard not being swayed by it.
I'm pretty comfortable in my own skin but I suppose some of that comes with age. Thanks for stopping by my blog today!
I'm getting much better at being comfortable in my body. Tearing myself down or calling myself names only makes matters worst. Besides, they are all LIES!! I am beautiful, pretty, and better than that I have a wonderful heart and a family that loves me. What more can a girl ask for?!
Eat Live Move: Intuitive Eating from A to Z!
I love Unpretty! Yeah, I have, and think everyone has at one time or another.
Sonia Lal @ Story Treasury