I have gotten some questions to who I am that is posting on this blog. Well, first off that is a great question, I have spent the last 10 years searching for my true self. And unfortunately on that road I fell into the hands of anorexia, trying to work-out and eat less in a way of becoming more beautiful/popular/attractive(you name it. Let me tell you it did not work..but back to the question!
My name is Helena. And I am a swedish-american woman in her young 20's. Currently in college. Gonna become a physical therapist :-) Want to know more? Shoot me an email or check out this vid:

Portia De Rossi's Unbearable Lightness part II

If I had known what popularity my Portia de Rossi post would lead to! None of my other posts are even close to that when it comes to visits. I want to follow up that post with another picture of her recovery. I google her a lot (as well as read her book) and the fact that she has done so well boosts my self esteem every time!

First off I want to give some cred to her wonderful and inspiring book Unbearable Lightness. I have read it several times and her life-long battle with anorexia is grabbing my heart each time! Here are, yet again, some pictures of her what she looks like today, as of year 2013: I mean how GORGEOUS she is at a healthy weight!

Happy 2013!
It is a new year and a new opportunity to live a good life, full of all the energy a great life should be full of! The last decade I have spend starving myself and trying to lose more weight each year. This years resolution is to be a happier and healthier version of myself :-) The last year I have gained 40 lbs...which is like 17 kgs... and it is probably the best thing I have done so far

A couple of posts ago I showed a picture of Lizzie Miller's tummy as she posed for Glamour Magazine, a picture that rocked the fashion-world by being completely...normal! :-) And we loved it!
My tummy has always been my 'issue' and I have had many battles with it for the past 10 years, about it being too big, too pale, too doughy and I have been hurting it by not putting the food and nutrition it needs into it as well as I have been abusing laxatives. But today my tummy and I have a better relationship, so this post is a celebration to MY TUMMY:

I officially LOVE YOU! xoxo Helle

I am a huge fan of Susan Liddy and her blog postings on Huffington Post. She writes about the female body in a wonderful, poetic, almost religious way! She wants more women to love and be proud of their bodies, and she is presenting devastating facts about how many women out there who are unhappy with how they look, and that would do anything to change their bodies.

Read and enjoy this passage where Susan is talking about the fantastic bodies we have;

"The human body is an utterly amazing creation. Even a basic consideration of its functions boggles the mind. Neurons connect to the nervous system, the nervous system connects our muscles and hair-trigger messaging occurs at lightening speed.

Every component is composed of microscopic cells, tiny self-regenerating entities numbering in the trillions. Yet, somehow it all comes together, each intricate system functioning in a harmonious symphony conducted masterfully by the brain.

This exquisite miracle of biology makes it possible for us to move around in the world and to experience it with all of our senses. It is the foundation of our very being. Shouldn't it be easy to sit back and simply appreciate our bodies for all they are and all they do for us?"

Read the entire post at Susan's blog . .. and more importantly: be proud and love your body! You will only have one :)

Disturbing dolls

What we teach our young girls through the sales of the Barbie doll:

1. There are two Barbie dolls sold every second in the world.
2. If Barbie were an actual women, she would be 5'9" tall, have a 39" bust, an 18" waist, 33" hips and a size 3 shoe.
3. At 5'9" tall and weighing 110 lbs, Barbie would have a BMI of 16.24 and fit the weight criteria for anorexia. She likely would not menstruate.
4. Slumber Party Barbie was introduced in 1965 and came with a bathroom scale permanently set at 110 lbs with a book entitled "How to Lose Weight" with directions inside stating simply "Don't eat."

Source:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/galia-slayen/the-scary-reality-of-a-re_b_845239.html

Dove's powerful message

I am usually hesitant to all types of corporations or beauty-industry companies, but with this commercial I think Dove really hit it home. I watch this clip with horror, as youngsters around the world are just drowning in the message that the beauty industry tries to convey. This is a huge part in why so many people suffers from discomfort with themselves, their bodies and appearance.

Dare to look the other way, you know only dead fish follow the current...

Ridiculous Ralph!

The fact that I grew up in a society where being thin and pretty is portrayed to be the most important thing in life, is on of the reasons to why I fell ill with anorexia. That is also why few things makes me more mad and sad than when pictures in advertising and media are altered and models made to look a way that is impossible to achieve!

Ralph Laurens ad campaign in 2009 almost made my morning coffe come out my nose (!) when I saw it in a magazine. The model Filippa Hamilton's waist had been photoshopped to insanity!

What ideal does this set for young women all over the world? How does a company like Ralph Lauren think a woman's body look like? Who could possibly be their customer?
 

The good thing to this story is that Filippa herself set her foot down and went to the press saying that she does not accept the photoshopping that was done. Very brave! The thanks from R.L? Well, she was fired soon after for being "overweight"...


Filippa is a brave woman and a whistleblower for healthy beauty and I think it is very strong to stand up to a large company and say; this is not me and I do not stand for this!