They Look Like Me!

The other day, my oldest son was off from school and I found him in the middle of watching The Price Is Right.  I loved that show as a girl in the 1970s and 80s, so I sat down and started watching with him.  The doors opened to reveal what some lucky contestant could win, and within a few moments, the thing that had my attention was not the prize itself, but the models.

They didn't look like models.  They looked a lot like me.  I was surprised.  I even mentioned this to my son.  When the next prize came out, a different model presented it.  I said, "OK, that's what I'd expect a model to look like.  The others must be guests or something."

It turns out they were guests.  They were Natalie Morales and Kit Hoover from Access Hollywood.  I only know this because today I used Google and found a Facebook post from March 8th on the PIR page.  (I had to use Google to find the name of the regular PIR model, too.  It's Rachel Reynolds.)  Here are some pictures.  I tried to find pictures that show their body a bit because if you look up pictures of Rachel Reynolds for comparison, almost all the photos you will find involve bikinis.

Natalie Morales

Kit Hoover

These ladies are not 5'8".  According to Google, they're 5'3" and 5'0".  (I'm 5'4".)  They don't have huge chests and tiny waists and long legs.  I learned they are both runners (like me), as I found pictures of them at races.

Notice I did not say they look like real - or regular -women.  To be honest, though, while watching the show, that was my first thought.  "They look like regular women!"  However, aren't we all real women, regardless of our body type?  I think what many of us really mean when that thought enters our mind is:  "She looks like me" and of course, we each see ourself as a regular woman.

Health comes in a lot of shapes and sizes.  I was heavily influenced during my young life by what I perceived as the perfect female body presented in the entertainment and advertising industries, not to mention my Barbie dolls.  I never felt good about my own body, and even now, I struggle with my perception of it as it ages.  Perhaps that's why it felt so good to see someone modeling with whom I could identify.

If there are any men reading this, you might be feeling ignored right about now.  I'm sorry.  I'm sure these feelings aren't unique to women.  I would love for you to share your own perspective in the comment section.

I think it's natural for everyone to want to feel attractive and accepted.  For some reason, we measure ourselves through the images presented in advertisement and entertainment.  We know how tough those industries are.  Many are rejected due to not having the right look, so we know we'd be rejected, too.  I suppose we need to forget this narrow definition of beauty (perfection?) that we see.  Reality is a lot broader than what is presented to us, and in the end, the way we take care of ourselves and treat others is far more important than comparing our physical attributes to the images we see on our TV and computer screens.