When did society become overly concerned with looks? Can you name a year, a decade a time in your life you feel the shift happened? Where we once saw it mostly among the female teen and young adult population we can now observe it creeping into most age and gender demographics. This is a sad state of affairs and I want to address it.
First, I want to say that a certain amount of vanity is healthy. I believe this whole heartedly, loving every part of yourself including your physical self is vital. Taking time to care for yourself and taking pleasure in what you see and what you achieve physically can be a very positive part of life. I know for myself when I take the time to dress nicely, do my makeup, go to the gym and spend the extra time to ensure I leave the house looking my best, I feel confident! There is nothing wrong with that and through my eyes it shows a person values themselves.
However, what I see happening to our society is something much more sinister. It is an obsession with physical perfection. An individual looking in the mirror and scrutinizing over their imperfections. Or worse, finding what we feel are physical imperfections in others and picking them apart if not to their face then in our minds or to our friends.
What about the new epidemic of taking our ever advancing technology and using fun filters to the extreme. The end result is we either look fake or plain unrecognizable. The filters themselves can be fun and a good tool if we want to take a photo on a bad hair day or when we did not have time to do our makeup……Ladies you know what I am talking about! But when we plaster super filtered photos all over social media with none to balance them out…. None that are a genuine depiction, what are we teaching the world? We are teaching that the best way to be excepted is to be perfect. Perfection is an illusion and is simply not achievable. We are setting ourselves and others up for disappointment and ultimate failure. Nobody can achieve perfection, it is not obtainable.
When did we lose focus on what to value in both ourselves and in others? It is sad to see airbrushed celebrities that are beautiful regardless in magazines and public figures feeling in fear of aging because their fanbase will become obsolete. Upkeep is one thing, but full overhauls are something rooted in a much darker place. I do not place judgement on anyone who does it either. It is our society that has driven this fear and caused this breakdown. You may or may not agree with me, but this is what I see daily.
The problem, if we can call it that, needs to be addressed first intimately. Meaning our self talk. As a counselor I preach all the time that we talk to nobody more than we talk to ourselves. So we need to address this ridiculous notion of perfectionism. First with ourselves, be honest with yourself on how this epidemic has affected your life. The truth is it isn’t a problem that affects everyone except you, it is a problem that has become an epidemic because it is all-encompassing. So the change starts with you.
Make an impact on the world and those you influence by showing the change. Show it on your social media, take a stand for what is true and right. Talk to the young people in your life about healthy verses unhealthy vanity. Encourage love, truth, decency, mercy and authenticity. These are the virtues we should be holding to a high esteem in our society. And it starts with you!
I know this post is going to ruffle some feathers, but remember I do not pass judgement. It’s a societal problem and not one individuals fault or doing. I want to use my platform to influence my tiny section of this world in a positive way and as often as I can.
As usual if you or someone you know needs someone to talk to visit mybeachtherapy.net for more information on who I am and to see if I can help.
