It's been said that you teach what you need to know.  This week's column underscores that truth.

Let’s begin with a Riddle:  You are not Tyra.  You are not Beyonce, Rihanna or Janet  and you cannot dance on a music video, or sell cars in magazines or make-up on television.  As a matter of fact,  you are not even ON television.  What are you? 

Riddle Part II:   You live and you breathe and  you have breasts of non specific sizes ranging from AAA to EEE.  You have hair that is short, long, nappy or wavy, and you have, or  had, a cycle roughly every 28 days….

Hold it!  You know the answer now.

Every day,  400 to 600 advertisements bombard us in magazines, billboards, television and newspapers.  One in five has a direct message about female attractiveness and so-called beauty.  It seems to me that we’re not what we see.  We’re not one of the images that we see day in and day out - an image that is held up as important and worthy of dollars and male attention.  It’s no wonder our self esteem and body image is suffering.  Self esteem is how we feel about ourselves, and ladies, as a whole, we have a long way to go.  For the most part, men look in the mirror and see something more, while women look in the mirror and see something less.  Think about it!  Some of the most attractive women are always finding physical fault with themselves, and some of the most physically unattractive men carry themselves like they are “all that.”  Most  ladies can’t even take a compliment without firing back, “Big as I am?  I’d look better if I could lose some of this weight.”  It‘s called low self esteem ladies, and we have it bad!  

On my recent trip to the island of Turks and Caicos, I packed my trusted one piece bathing suit.  The one with full coverage of those stretch marks that are a big announcement to the world that I've given birth to three beautiful children.  And although my clothing sizes are in the single digits, those damned stretch marks have been THE major influence  in my choices of beachwear and various summer halter tops. No doubt, I retired my mid section years ago! 

10 Ways to Feel Great About Your Body:

According to a Psychology Today study most of us are dissatisfied with at least some of our body parts – but there are 10 ways to feel great about your body no matter what you look like (and developing a healthy body image won't hurt):

Pick three or four tips that work for you, and focus on them to help you feel great about your body. When you’re rolling with those, pick a couple more. Before you know it, you’ll be swaggering around in that figure flattering sweater dress this winter or rockin' that bikini on the beach next summer.  Love thyself and respect thyself, just the way you are!