Body Image Most people feel that appearance is tied to happiness in life, but different societies view body image differently.
I lived 30 years of my life in a Muslim country. Because less than half of the population was practicing Islam, we had many different traditions. Body image in my society was very important. Everyone in my country was trying to look good, wearing nice and modern clothes, nice make-up, and expensive jewelry. This is how I saw it from my childhood, and I believe that knowing this helped me to succeed in my life. My mother raised me trying to instill in me good manners and good taste. I attended music school and ballet school. It never was about putting my body image on a pedestal. It was about becoming intelligent, inside as well as outside. It was about having understanding between my body and my mind. I was always aware about how body image can work, and this knowledge has helped me.
English: Map of the Muslim Population by Percentag...
English: Body image scanner cartoon avatar, genera...
Foreign Body imageI also remember that my mother, who looked very young for her age, always dressed nicely even when she was going to the grocery store. At the same time, to dress nicely in my society did not mean to wear short skirts or have very open necks. In my country, and in many other countries, people formed an opinion based on how you look.
A good example is how I got my first job with an international company. It was a chief accountant position for a big car company. I came for an interview with the company?s manager, a Korean person. I was wearing a nice red suit. As soon as I entered his office, I saw that he was shocked by my looks. We sat down and talked. I told him that I had an...