Beauty - Is It Really in the Eye of the Beholder?: I'm so Beautiful, I'm Gonna be a Supermodel!

 *Some esplainin': Today's title are lyrics from the song Supermodel, from the movie Clueless. Fitting, no?

The media is a complicated creature, with it's wily ways of deception (I sense a rhyme coming on...), projecting images of perfection. Their level of physical perfection makes us want to emulate their looks, while not acknowledging that behind each beautiful celebrity is a team of makeup artists, Photoshop, and a whole lot of time. Part of the selling point for actors, actresses, musicians and the like is the way they look. They have to spend a lot of time and money on keeping up their appearance, which often times average citizens just don't have at their disposable. It would hardly be fair for us to compare ourselves to those whose main job consists of keeping up their good looks. The companies around the world know this, and exploit the idolization we hold for these people. They drown us in advertisements in an effort to make us buy the products that gave these stars their beauty. They shove useless information down our throats, and now we have grown to gobble it up; buying into their their paid programming and purchasing their new products. We have fallen victim to the media's thirst for money.

Regarding commercials, and billboards, and radio ads, and magazine ads, and newspaper ads, and any other possible type of advertisement possible (product placements becoming more popular), I really have become desensitized towards it all. They have become a regular addition to everyday life. If one seems particularly interesting, I'll bring it up, or show interest in purchasing their product. If their catchy jingle gets stuck in my head, I will sing it. If it makes me laugh, I'll show it to others. It is possible that I am buying into their propaganda of sorts by participating in such activities- after all, they are all the kinds of promotion that these advertisers want us to do. But I'd also like to think that being aware of how I act puts me a step ahead of them. If only. I know that the way I act is a direct result of all of the advertisements I'm surrounded by, but I also like to think that me knowing that I am participating in it gives me more power over the "control" it has over me. This makes me feel less affected by the images around me, as I give conscious thought into why I sing that song, or what caused me to think of it in the first place.

Retouched photo of a girl in a beauty pageant

I believe that doses of a harsher reality are needed to reduce the number of young men and women who are effected negatively by media. They need to know the truth; as the much overused adage goes, no one is perfect. They must come to terms with and accept their own imperfections- it is what gives them that inherently unique quality we all have. It is what keeps us from becoming the same through our mutual unique qualities. They also have to learn that others have just as many imperfections. Teaching these young people to accept their "flaws", which really should not be viewed in such a negative light to begin with, is the most that can be done.

 If I saw a magazine with a model that was not subject to a complete makeover, I would be shocked, to say the least. Society has some weird, severely made-up image of beauty, and so countering that ideal by being natural comes as a shock. While disappointing, it is a truth which we have to face; the natural  has become unnatural. I don't believe that society would necessarily become a more natural environment, but I do believe that many people would agree that natural is more simple, a fact which appeals to everyone. I cannot imagine that society as whole would unanimously stop dolling up their models, or not promote the sale of cosmetics. Yet, it does not go unnoticed when actors or actresses appear in magazines with a fresh face that's a clear of make up, for a change. While it is blatantly a self-plug of sorts, used to stress how similar celebrities are to "regular people", it still is something that people comment on, and speak about with others. And while society and culture does put such a huge pressure on the young men and women of today, frankly, they shouldn't. The need to beautify, should not come from the necessity of fitting in, or some other drivel. It should come from a passion for beautification, or the need to express yourself, or even for it's simple joy. We should want to change for ourselves, because of ourselves. Not due to others. So, society should definitely change and become a accepting place for people of all shapes, sizes, skin colours, and any other definitive factor. The fact of the matter is, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 For the sake of itself, I'm redirecting you to a video of a model wearing a year's worth of makeup, in one day. Click here.