Beauty and the Beast

INSPIRATIONAL GIRLS AND WOMEN, December 2008


Beauty and
the Beast


Published author, Megan Ryland is a 17 year old grade 12 student from Calgary Alberta. Her book is so in line with our beliefs at GCDA that we just had to interview her and tell all of you about what she’s written! Megan is big time involved in drama, and loves soccer. She has a younger sister, a ton of great friends who mean the world to her and she is very busy with life and school and writing… one of her greatest passions.

Her book:
“Beauty and the Beast” is about ending the love/hate relationship between girls and their bodies. It’s so well written and makes so much sense in today’s world that every teen and tween should read it!
 
“Originally I was interested in ‘who thinks they are beautiful and whether or not it was as bad as it seemed out there’. My friends and I were talking about doing a survey that asked two things: “Are you happy” and, “Do you feel beautiful?” Well, I did some research and two questions became a 45 question survey! That and my idea for the book snowballed from there.”
 
While girls are struggling with not feeling good enough and receiving messages on how to be better, Megan’s book has about 60 pages of great info from a teen who knows first-hand. Here’s a synopsis, as described by Megan herself, of Beauty and the Beast:

Introduction
Megan tells you what you’re in for and explains her Beauty and the Beast metaphor.

Obsessed
In this chapter, she explains how consumed we are with crazy ideas, how engulfed we are with images of beauty and how prevalent it all is in our society.

Changing Uniform
“We are all different and that should be expressed through our experiences. It’s fine enough to say there is a universal ideal of beauty that we try to conform to, but not only is that ideal impossible, but it’s a set up for failure. We’re individuals. My DNA is different than yours and we’ll always be different. We need to accept that and take pride in our bodies. We need to see the connection between self and body.”

The Cat is Out of the Bag
This chapter discusses the ‘catiness’ of girls. Girls are infamous for cat fighting, vicious words and rumours. Tearing down another’s self esteem, especially about appearance, is easy when there is already some insecurity. There are some cool stats about the survey Megan did and suggestions on how to look at yourself and others differently.

Commercial Reality
“How do commercials play a role? We may blame ads but we don’t think about why. What we need to be clear about is that ads sell more than products; they sell ideas! Those ideas capitalize on our insecurities, often about beauty. The more we’re aware the more we can lose the connection between ‘self’ and lipstick!”

Reality vs. TV
“We’re not seeing average girls on our TV screens so we don’t have a good idea what they’re like in real life. We see beautiful girls with easy happy lives, so we believe our life would be easier if we were beautiful too. Sadly, 60% of the girls in the survey said they’d be happier if they were thinner.”

Star Power
Here she deals with celebrities and how we idolize people with no real connection to our lives. “Our role models are women who are created and sculpted. Magazines present idolized celebrities doing things we do, but better because they are rich and on the red carpet. This can make us feel like failures and not good enough.”

Food Fight
Megan really wanted to get an important point across about eating disorders. “Not only is it important to deal with clinical eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia, but the struggles to fit a mold and have a sense of control in life. It’s not just people who throw up but everyone who feels less of human because they are not thin enough.”

Hamburgers; the Flip Side
“You shouldn’t be consumed with body ideas, but instead be aware of what your body needs. Health is about respecting and understanding what your body needs. Girls need to treat their bodies right, like not having chips for lunch! Your body needs more than that. Fad diets give us a skewed view of what healthy is.”

Conclusion
“Many girls feel more beautiful after others tell them so. Although it is positive reinforcement, relying on it is damaging. You need to be your own best friend.”
 
Megan has felt unattractive at times in her life, but for the most part she feels lucky that she has had a good sense of self. “I was a nerdy kid so I put more emphasis on school and other things. While I always tried to see other people’s views I found it frustrating that beauty was such a big point of importance. Writing the book has helped me develop more patience with those views.
 
“My message to other girls would be to define yourself not by other people’s standards and what you feel expected to be, but to look in the mirror and see yourself as an amazing individual just as you are.”

To get Megan's book:
Send a cheque for $19.00 (includes S&H) to:
Lord Beaverbrook High School,
9019 Fairmount Dr. SE Calgary, AB
P2H 0Z4 Canada.
Make your cheque out to Tiberious Publishing with a note for ordering Beauty and the Beast. Check out Megan's site, too!

Add Comment

(Please use a nickname or your first name only. To help other girls relate, let us know your age and what province/state or country you live in. Other identifying information like email address, address, web sites or phone numbers will NOT be accepted. Thanks for your comments (: COMMENTS WILL BE POSTED WITHIN 24HRS.)

*Name:
*Name:
*Email (your email will not be displayed):
*Comment:

*By clicking "submit", you acknowledge that you are 13 or older, or have received parental permission to send your information, according to our privacy policy.

Reproduction of any article or content herein, in whole or in part, without written permission is strictly prohibited.
© Girls Can Do Anything Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved.