Singer says standards of beauty don’t apply in real life

Jul 10, 2009 19:51 GMT  ·  By

It’s a known fact that Hollywood functions on stereotypes and certain standards that are usually set too high to be attained by just anyone. Mandy Moore, for one, knows how hard it can be to try and fit the standards demanded by the industry, although she’s far from being an ugly girl. A campaigner of sorts for individual beauty as opposed to standardized one, Mandy reinforces her beliefs in a new interview with Women’s Health.

In the past, the indie singer repeatedly spoke out against the absurd demands and pressure put on stars to look a certain way, and even revealed that she too often had moments of insecurity, especially when it came about her thighs. In her latest interview, the singer is saying that, while it did take her a while to learn to love herself as she is, she eventually did it – but not before finding balance first.

“I’m into having balance in my life and trying to treat myself well.” Mandy says, after revealing she is now sick of chasing an unattainable ideal. Consequently, she works out three or four times a week by going on long hikes and to a Pilates class, while she also has acupuncture and regular therapy sessions to achieve mental health and find happiness through balance. “[Acupuncture] is so restorative. It brings me back to myself.” Moore says, adding that the best way she could describe the therapy sessions would be “freeing.”

Just recently, Moore was speaking out about the healthy body image she has and that she’s trying to send off to other girls and young women as well. The first thing that we should all do, she was saying, would be to accept that our body changed with age and that we couldn’t all be the same no matter how hard we tried. Beauty is not necessarily in the eye of the beholder, but it is closely connected to how each woman individually sees herself, Mandy added at the time – and she was perhaps the best example for that, a normal-sized girl thrown in a see of size 0 stars.

“I still have a love-hate relationship with [my hips]. I’m not a swizzle stick – I’m not 14 anymore. I appreciate when there are other women out there who are beautiful and aren’t, you know, a pound. I feel lucky that I don’t feel pressure... to have my whole life be controlled by whether I fit into a certain size. […] I’m very comfortable with the way that I look, but it’s not fair for women to use someone or something as a bar. It’s not reality, for anyone. I am happy to be myself and represent something different for women.” the singer and actress was stating a short while back.