We are inundated from childhood with commercials, ads and film that reinforce the value of the "young and beautiful". Do we ever see or hear any media that promotes the value of wisdom, experience and the beauty of a face that has earned the right to a wrinkle or two?
As we march into the twenty first century age discrimination still abounds, as well as discrimination against those who are not what our society considers "good looking." This attitude is even more severe for females. Is it any wonder that women will spend small fortunes on beauty regimes that promise to turn back the clock, practice extreme diets in order to be fashionably thin and submit to the dangerous knife of a plastic surgeon in hopes of conforming to societies concepts of "beautiful" or in a vain attempt to gain back youth?
Take a look at celebrities who have surgically altered their looks so drastically that the results are tragically worse than having a few wrinkles or a turkey neck! Many look as though they are permanently being affected by G-forces strong enough to flatten a boulder. Those silly swollen lips that many actresses are sporting just look like an allergic reaction that localized near the mouth.
Are these women more beautiful now? Are they funnier, better actresses, better people?
In these times, when the world has some very serious problems, when war spreads around the globe, when people are starving and humanity everywhere face the threats of global warming, depleted resources and even possible extinction, wouldn't we all be better served by turning our desires and hopes towards a more beautiful planet than a more beautiful face?
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It is a "precious" few who engage in the extreme procedures you describe. (I do consider voluntarily injecting one's self with toxins an extreme prodedure.)
ReplyDeleteWherever I go I see a disproportionate number of overweight people. I'm not speaking of the 5-10 lbs over the hollywood hyped beauty standard, but the 20-40lbs on the hips of youngsters and the 60-300lbs on 30-somethings & older.
For me, our concern over weight should not be a matter of "other"-defined beauty but of comfort and health. (Though it seems one advantage of a little extra weight is that it does fill out the wrinkles.)
To fully realize and appreciate someone's inner beauty, we need to take the time to get to know the person. Treat each other with respect. Allow ourselves to blossom.
Thanks for the reminder to refocus our concerns about "beauty" in a manner positive for all.