Why is our culture so focused on how we look? Especially when the "we" are
women. Look at all the grooming women have to do compared to that of men.
Although the tide has began to change and men are beginning to use
cosmetics, consider shaving more than their faces and wonder if that manly
smell is really all it's cracked up to be.
Still, women have to think of nails, shaving most of their body, hair, lips,
wrinkles, teeth, body odour (not just arm pits), well... you know the drill.
Why have we let our culture box us into this beauty rut?
It's not that I think we should all grow leg hair, burn bras, refuse to wear
make up and so on. But, why do we have to see commercials telling us that we
should worry if our toes are pretty enough, if our hair is shiny enough, if
our skin is glowing enough, and so on. When are we allowed to be human
animals and have some imperfections?
We aren't born to be perfect. Men certainly are not shoved into this tight
mold of perfumed perfection. Men are allowed to have less than smooth and
silky skin. No one expects men to have pretty toes so they will look cute
when they wear sandals. No one expects men to rip the hair from their most
tender areas so they can wear some skimpy thong that reveals all that
cellulite they couldn't exercise off back there.
In the end, I wonder, who are we doing all this for? Ourselves? Probably
not, wouldn't you be happier if you could ease up on yourself, live with and
even accept a few imperfections? Our men, maybe, but from what I've heard
they can accept us with a few zits, the odd wrinkle and less than perfect
toes. Maybe we do it for our families. Don't most families expect you to go
out into the big world and show everyone how well you turned out?
I don't know. But, I'm tired of feeling no part of me is ever good enough,
pretty enough or perfect enough. How old do I have to be before I can just
look like me (warts and all) and still feel acceptable, not quite a freak of
nature, maybe even... pretty?
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