Carré Otis (born September 28, 1968) is an American model and actress.
Just as young people absorb all kinds of messages from the media, young girls learn what it means to be a woman by watching the older women in their lives.
Though my parents assured me over and over again that I wasn't stupid or slow, I sensed that my dyslexia was now a stigma on all of us.
I am not naturally that thin, so I had to go through everything from using drugs to diet pills to laxatives to fasting. Those were my main ways of controlling my weight.
My days are jam-packed with carpools, classroom assistance, tending to chickens, dogs and seven acres of olive trees!
I've learned to surround myself with women who lift me up and leave me feeling nurtured rather than drained.
I grew up on antibiotics. Every ailment - sore throats, earaches, flus - warranted a trip to the doctor and in most cases some kind of prescription.
There comes a moment as a parent when you realize you will no longer be the center of your child's universe.
In the past, I often found that when I reached out for a fast cure it led me down a slippery slope of more medications, hopeful dependence on the next prescription and ultimately a much longer drawn-out illness.
Many women who have anorexia put their hearts in a compromised situation.
I was essentially paid to perpetuate the myth that we are all, or should at least try to be, 17 and a size 2 forever.
But life inevitably throws us curve balls, unexpected circumstances that remind us to expect the unexpected. I've come to understand these curve balls are the beautiful unfolding of both karma and current.
You have to find a balance with food in your life - you can't take out food. It can be absolutely terrifying.
There is nothing more attractive that a woman who is sure of herself.
We come in many different shapes and sizes, and we need to support each other and our differences. Our beauty is in our differences.
But I would assert that despite the wide variety of yoga options and individual preferences, there is one universal element: the union of consciousness and movement, breath and awareness.
When I consider the deeper meaning of yoga, I realize it's about a lot more than simply performing a variety of postures on a mat.
Life is full of change and uncertainty. We know this. We experience it on a daily basis.
I feel like it's my responsibility to honestly cover a lot of subjects in part because I have two little girls and I really want them when they grow up to have a voice.
I had dropped out of school and was a runaway, so I didn't have family to fall back on if I didn't work. I didn't have a lot of other options of making money other than modeling.
Eating disorders, body dysmorphia and a general dissatisfaction with one's life and body seems to ail too many young people.