Are you one of those rare people who can see past the physical and recognize one’s inner beauty? Honestly?

The other day I was searching the internet for real life “Beauty and the Beast” stories and came across the following:

“When I was in high school-there was this gal–her name was Trudy Nussbaum–her father was Big Henry Nussbaum–the guy who owns all those car dealerships.

“Trudy was a BIG gal—I mean she must have weighed about 350, which was a lot on her short frame–I think she was only 4 feet 2 inches tall.

“She was only of those gals you can’t forget—whenever you talked to her and looked into her big bulging eyes- it was hard to look directly at her-since both eyes wandered so.

“I always wandered why her family, whick I assumed was so comfortable, would allow her to have several teeth missing and not provide electrolysis for her upper lip and inner ears.

“No matter — Trudy was one great gal—and when I was 17-I dated Trudy–I took her to the movies, walks in the park at night- grunnion hunting…we had a blast!”

*****

It took me a little to realize the above is not true.

But…one’s physical features play less of a role in dating than you might think.

According to a Reuters article, “A whopping 85% of single men professed their love for heavier women with more than 80% of men feeling that overweight women are less bitchy than thin women. These single men thought that overweight women appreciate the attention that men give them and are more loving because of it.”

Meanwhile, according to that same poll, “90% of women think men find extra weight unattractive, and that heavy women have a much harder time dating.”

As Shira Zwebner, Relationship Advisor for several dating websites, said, “These types of misconceptions between the sexes are extremely common, and result in a lot of missed dating
and relationship opportunities.”

Point being…don’t worry so much about your physical look.

Keep it Simple

I like to say to my yoga students, “You really know the yoga is affecting you NOT when you nail all the poses or can fit into the new Lulu pants…BUT RATHER when you can look in the mirror and actually see your own beauty.”

Most of us look in the mirror and see our blemishes and scars. An oft-reported survey by Dove Soap says that only 2% of women consider themselves beautiful.

A challenge for you RIGHT NOW. Can you go look at yourself in the mirror and like what you see?

Even if you are a bit of shape or stressed beyond belief, remember…true beauty is much deeper than one’s boobies, pecs, biceps, and quads.

Elizabeth Kubler Ross said, “The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.”