Are the new parameters of beauty destroying women's confidence?

Hair extensions, fake lashes, filled pouts, whitened teeth, pumped breasts, stick on nails, Spanxed hips, 6 inch heels… size ten women killing themselves to be a size eight, and size eight women putting their life at risk to be a size zero. All so we can all look like each other, be accepted and feel good. Only all the paraphernalia, wasted time and money doesn’t seem to be doing the job. Instead, it’s freaking out men and turning more and more women into insecure girls.

I believe today’s parameters of beauty are destroying women’s confidence. Thanks to the inescapable fashion world and media pressures, women are expected to look fabulously thin and chic all the time, get back into top shape within weeks after giving birth, and never age… at any cost. And it is costing us, trust me. It is costing us our identity.

More and more women of all ages and backgrounds are looking for help as a result of not being able to cope with it all, feeling unhappy, frustrated, confused, and like they are not good enough.

We try to emulate today’s “role models” and we just can’t keep up; Cheryl Cole’s body, Victoria Beckham’s outfits, Jennifer Aniston’s hair, JLo’s face… this women’s jobs may involve looking “perfect”, whatever perfect means, but thankfully ours isn’t.

With an entourage of top hair stylists, makeup artists, fashion stylists, personal trainers, nutritionists, personal chefs, cosmetic surgeons, photoshop experts, and what not… who wouldn’t look fabulous all the time?

But, really, is that all that matters to us these days? We are so obsessed with looks that we forget about many other factors essential to a woman’s self-worth. This is why no matter how much time or money we invest in our looks, it never seems to be enough; we are still unhappy.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to maximise your strong points and enhance your assets, but too many women out there are trying too hard to be someone else, someone they are not, and that worries me. It speaks volumes about today’s society and today’s women. Is this the legacy we want to leave to future generations of women?

If you are not happy with yourself, by all means do something about it. But never at the expense of your physical and mental health. And you are certainly not going find happiness in the pages of gossip magazines, or watching programs about teenage models or celebs’ lives. All that does is make you waste time and money, and chip off at your self-esteem as a result of ridiculous comparisons.

If you don’t feel confident and proud of who you are, this is the result of certain things you have or haven’t been doing. Fortunately, you can change things.

Maybe you didn't have the necessary tools and skills in the past. But now, you can finally discover the secrets of naturally confident and charismatic women that will help you build up your self-esteem, and feel more empowered as a woman.