Here’s a YouTube video that helped me understand what I really think about my body.
In an out-of-the-way photo studio with a skeleton crew, 50 people are brought in, one by one, to sit on a stool in front of a camera. The narrator sets the stage by first mentioning to each person the following words: “So we have one question that we want to ask you today”.
The video shows multiple people reacting to the phrase. Looking somewhat impatient, an older woman asks smiling “Ok, well, what’s that question?” Fair enough. Â The narrator then asks…
If you could change one thing about your body, what would it be?
The question brought up doubts, fears, and insecurities in me, never mind that they are sitting in front of a camera crew. Judging from everyone’s initial expression, you can see how comfortable (or not) they are with that particular question. “Ummm…”, “only one (nervous laughter) ???”… That’s quickly followed by answers from the participants.
- “Ahhh… I would change my forehead. I have a really big forehead.”
- “I’d like to be taller.”
- “The puffiness of my face.”
- “My ears. I have big ears. A lot of times kids would make fun of me like, ‘Hey man, you’ve got big ears, you’ve got Dumbo over there you know’.”
- “Definitely my skin because I’ve dealt with acne and eczema issues ever since I was a little kid.”
- “When I was young, because everyone liked girls with big eyes, I also hoped my eyes could be bigger.”
- “Growing up, like a lot of people called me ‘five head’, ‘you’re forehead is so big’. They always would say something to me about it.”
Just then, a young girl approaches the stool but is too short to sit. One of the crew comes in and lifts her onto the stool.
Go to the next page for the video.
