AAUW Dialog

Heidi Montag in People Magazine. Credit: The Huffington Post

Today, more than ever, body image is a huge self-esteem issue for women and girls. We are constantly bombarded with messages about how to be perfect — Get Thin Fast; I Hate My Hair; Surgery-Free Boob Jobs; LongerLegs, Leaner Lines, Sexier Silhouette. Speaking in a recent issue of People magazine, the 23-year-old reality television celebrity and sage adviser Heidi Montag, who underwent 10 plastic surgeries in one day, admitted that she plans to “keep using surgery to make me as perfect as I can be.”

And as Heidi knows all too well, beauty isn’t cheap. But even if you don’t have $30K to overhaul yourself in the New Year, AAUW resolves to make you the ideal woman from head to toe in 2010 with a few beauty products you would be loathe to do without.

Image created by Alli VanKanegan

Hair
Simonize your body and buff away that inconvenient mammalian feature — hair — with Smooth Away.

Skin
Consider any of the skin-lightening products on the market, from Fair and Flawless to Clair & White.

Eyes

For $200 a month you can grow longer, fuller, and darker eye lashes — just like Brooke Shields!

Ears

Love dangly earrings but hate those saggy earlobes? Lobe Wonder can fix what fashion caused.

Lips

Get that perfect pout — just like celebrities! — and augment your life and career for a fraction of the cost.

Neck

Even better than neck firming cream is the Neckline Slimmer. It’s like Thigh Master for your neck.

Arms

Michelle Obama has upped the stakes with her right to bare arms. Shake Weights work your upper body — and digestion — in just minutes a day.

Chest

Easy Curves — “A Beautiful Bustline in Just 5 Minutes a Day!” Now you don’t have to worry about just your bust size. You can worry about the shape, too.

Spanx

Stomach

Comedienne Wanda Sykes, in her HBO special “I’ma Be Me,” refers to her stomach as “Esther Rolls.” She has a bit about convincing Esther to stay in her Spanx for a recent appearance on Jay Leno.

Butt and Legs

Not into doing endless squats and climbing a StairMaster? Well then, sister, why not get The Panties That Make Your Booty “Pop”? Who knew, all these years I’ve been trying to strap mine down, when I should have been letting it POP!

There are even three sizes — Sweet, Sweeter, and Sweetest — since one bootylicious size does not fit all. The benefits are endless.

But if a padded rear end just isn’t your thing, why not try Reebok’s new Easy Tone athletic shoes and get “better legs and a better butt with every single step”? Even your breasts will be jealous.

Feet

And finally, after a long, hard day, every woman wants attractive YogaToes!

If you still haven’t found that perfect beauty product, you can see some other must-have beauty contraptions highlighted by Sarah Haskins in her Target Women segment on Current TV.

Thankfully, there are some groups and companies, including DOVE’s Campaign for Real Beauty, girlshealth.gov, and About-Face, that encourage women and girls to embrace their natural beauty and focus on being healthy, inside and out.