>>Sadly, we women can be our own worst critics. But consider the toll this has on sisterhood—and on you.

Criticizing another woman's looks makes you look and feel totally insecure. It also makes you paranoid—if you do it to them, you'll automatically assume they're doing it to you. Dogging each other keeps us divided, and therefore defeated.

Besides, we all have a unique beauty to cultivate, whether we're thick or thin. "I like to think of myself as authentic," says Dina, 21. "I may not look like a fashion magazine model, but no one else has my genetics. So I just try to be the best me I can."

Dina's attitude has helped her to stop regarding other women as enemies. "It's not a competition," she says adamantly. By working toward self-acceptance, and checking herself when she finds insecurity flaring up, Dina finds that she now has room to appreciate the individual beauty in other women, as well as in herself.

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