Body Image: And the Award Goes To...

On Sunday, much of the country will be glued to their televisions watching celebrities partying at the Oscars. But many of the Hollywood A-list appear to have looks that few of us can achieve. If you're watching the red carpet frenzy and feeling like the standard of beauty you see is unattainable (and unrealistic), here are a few things worth keeping in mind:

• First and foremost, silence your inner critic. At Green Mountain we talk a lot about size and self acceptance. Comparing yourself to others isn't useful. You are your own standard. You don't have to live up to anybody else's. If you feel good and are healthy, that's what matters most.

• Many of the "normal people," not the super-celebs, but the costume designers, composers and other production artists that make it onto the stage look a lot like you and me. They're regular people with careers in film who may not be Angelina Jolie, but still look elegant in an evening gown. Why some of these women don't make it onto the red carpet pre-show is beyond me.

• Whether it's crash diets or pills, many celebs slim down before the award season in dangerous ways. Would you want to be "thin" if it meant gambling with your health?

• Take your cue from the lovely Oscar-nominated Kate Winslet, who recently told Nightline : "I've decided I'm going to start loving my backside."

• All the women are wearing Spanx body slimmers and other modern-day corsets squeezing them from all sides. While Spanx can't give you a new body, it certainly smoothes out problem areas. But would you rather be sitting in your living room in sweats or wearing an uncomfortable air-tight body suit with heels?

• Root for first-time nominee Melissa Leo for her starring role in Frozen River. Leo plays a single mom struggling to make ends meet. She doesn't look glam even once in the film, which she performs in entirely without make-up. Some reviewers thought it was harsh to make her look so stark, but hey, it's reality.

• Celebrities are people, too. Best Supporting Actress nominee Viola Davis lamented to the New York Post: "Now with all the parties and wine and cheese, I have to watch myself. Can't be going bald and shoveling it in with all those skinny-ass gorgeous girls at the Oscars." Wow, an Oscar nominee that worries that other actresses are skinnier and more gorgeous than she is. No matter how famous or successful, we're all insecure!

• No matter what your size, try to be Happy-Go-Lucky and let go of all the small ways that you judge yourself on a daily basis. This undermines your success and generally brings you down. Focus instead on the positive changes that you're making and have made in your life.  

Photo by cliff1066 via flickr.