Excess is bad, in everything. Excessive eating is bad, excessive dieting is bad, excessive make-up is bad, excessive not-caring-how-you-look-like is bad. Everyday we are bombarded with the idea of how we should look or be like. And not just the media, our friends are family are also constantly criticizing us on how we should look. I have pimples. Yes, I know, the horror. But I can't help it, I'm at the age where just stressing gives me pimples, it's the hormones and genes, both my parents had pimples at my age, I can only wait to grow out of it. And I can't help but say f*ck you to whoever gives me a recipe or recommends me something to get rid of the goddamned pimples. Unfortunately, some people are very susceptible to the criticism, because they have low self-esteem or whatever. It's not their fault. But one has to be smart nowadays to know when one is okay or not, to be happy with how he or she is the way he or she is. We live in a materialistic world, and it isn't going to change for a long time.
I think people are truly beautiful. I don't care if they wear make-up or if they are little too big or if they have glasses or some such. I think people are beautiful. I see myself like that as well. I don't really wear make-up. I dress like I want to dress. I wear my glasses. I'm not overly skinny. I just am the way I am and I'm comfortable in my own skin. It's nice to be able to move normally. It's nice to have a body that functions like it's supposed to function. I don't see the point of changing it for the sake of beauty. I like the way I am, and that's how I see everyone else.
I tend to agree with Rebekka, in that if someone is happy being who they are then so be it, as long as it's not evil. But the people who have low self-confidence because they feel they should be a certain way are the ones we're debating about. Some people feel low self-confidence, not because they shouldn't, but because they are doing something to themself that they shouldn't, and probably don't realize it's affecting them negatively. Too many people believe that life is about choice and you can choose to do whatever you want and the result should make you happy, but that's just not true. Even if 100,00 people got together and demanded that something is okay doesn't mean they are right. I can state that I don't find a woman more attractive because she gobs on some colored paste on her face. And women haven't always worn make up either (one can't argue that it's natural for a woman to wear make up). I also don't find make up tasty when I kiss a woman, plus I definitely don't want to ingest the chemicals it's made from. And I've never heard a man tell another man... Hey! She's attractive! Wow, that make up! It's always the opposite. Something like: Yah, but does she look good without make up on. We each have our individualistic tastes, but that's mine! I hope I helped anyone who has low self esteem find a way to make it better. We're all beautiful, we just got to let it be seen.
Nothing new about this video, but I kinda' ran across it in my relentless search for new things on the internet. I thought it was a very savvy stab at the way culture twists our sense of what is attractive. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFPGa0pKyTg&NR=1
Make up isn't used to 'cover' any 'truth' up; it's often a means of defining and emphasising features one has already. Why? Because it's fun, it's a form of creative expression, it's exciting to be able to create something from something else in existence, especially when it's from such a personal and interactive foundation. Also, the assumption that women who wear makeup are just unhappy or simply insecure about who they are 'naturally', is based upon the assumption that we all understand ourselves and therefore who we are. It's more so based upon the assumption that others understand us and who we are- which is, if anything, more absurd a concept than the former. As far as I'm concerned, who are you, or anybody else, to say that my 'naturally' existing self is who I am? Define 'naturally' existing anyway? I have extremely dry skin and eczema naturally, therefore am I going against my 'natural' self if I treat my skin with clinically developed moisturiser? I think we're being a little bit too hard on ourselves. We're setting too many expectations for ourselves, based on rules and standings that have no premise. In my personal opinion, do whatever makes you feel good about yourself and don’t read so much into the motive- in the end feeling good about yourself is something that doesn't need scrutiny.
While I do think that a lot of women look better without most of the makeup they were, I have to agree with you. It doesn't really say anything about how they feel about themselves.
^^^This is why I like you, Eoz. I used to be horribly insecure about...well, everything. I've come to accept most of my flaws, though. Being shorter than everyone else isn't so bad. I may be shaped like a twelve year old boy, but I have amazing fashion sense. And the gap between my two front teeth adds character.
exactly it's like why do women wear make up? well, maybe they like the way they look with it on. IT IS THAT SIMPLE. Bloodyhall no wonder so many women have such deformed body images, look how much we have to justify ourselves to others. lol.
There are (at least) two ways to think about the use of makeup or grooming: 1. She is trying to change her looks to meet an arbitrary standard of beauty, and doesn't like her natural look. 2. She likes who she is, and is emphasizing it, presenting herself in the best possible way. You can't assume that someone (male or female) has poor self-esteem purely based on whether they use products to enhance their appearance. Isn't spending the time on oneself often an indicator of a sense of self worth?
*goes and hides in a hole* I just thought it was an interesting point of view. Plus, in the video, the young woman is not just having make up put on. The end picture which is put up on a bill-board is SO dramatically altered that it is not even the girl anymore. The image of beauty being portrayed is so out of whack, that the very girl in the bill-board is incapable of achieving the image which she herself is made to portray. I think the video is about extremes. At least that's what I took it to mean. Didn't mean to offend anyone....
Extremes are another matter entirely. That is why they are extreme, that makes them atypical by definition.
Lol I understand what you mean and I agree there's the extent where we create an image for ourselves which is (really) unattainable, and therefore, we become disappointed in ourselves when we can't achieve it- although realistically- no one can. haha.
Precisely. I work in the fitness industry part time. I can tell you that the photos in the men's workout magazines are just as doctored and retouched as any photo in a women's fashion magazine. And that ridiculously washboard abdomen with -5% (yes that's a negative sign you see there) body fat is attainable for a period of no more than ten minutes. The poor "fitness model" is throwing up between photo takes because of extreme dehydration after having downed a handful of water-expel pills. You can't get that level of muscle mass without having some body fat to work with while you're bulking up. The body needs a fuel source. Those mega-muscle dudes have bellies when they are getting ready for competitions or photo shoots. They do extreme diets just before to shed the fat. But you never see that part in the magazine. I can't tell you how many times (I think I've mentioned this once already in this thread) clients come to you with a photo of Mr. Perfect Body and say, "I wanna look like this." I have to tell them, "Dude, that guy doesn't look like that. That's called Photoshop."
I think this plays a part of it, but I also think that as life has became easier for us as a society, we have more time to worry about the little things, such as appereance. For example, one hundred years ago, people had more important things to worry about, such as getting food on the table that evening, or not catching the plague, as life was much harder then. And even if they did worry about their appearence, it doesn't matter 'cos they couldn't change it then. Now however, we have more time to sit and worry as life in general is easier, with technology and the ability to do something about it if we do not like our appearences, I think it is easier to let it worry you, and to have that option to change it. Just my two cents.
Wellll. not so much the plague in the early 1900's, but certainly there were widespread diseases we hardly give a thought to today. But cosmetics, perfumes, and finery have been an ever-changing obsession for far longer than that. For example, in the sixteenth century, Italian women used eye drops made from the highly poisonous belladonna plant to dilate their pupils and enhance their beauty (bella donna means beautiful lady in Italian).
This whole cosmetic, beauty, enhancement stuff that dominates the world today (and the whole hate towards it suddenyl by a lot of people..... makes me remember when i was a kid and there was a naughty, naughty little boy or girl in class....and the teachers used to be like, well if you all stopped paying attention to him, turn your backs he wont try and be naughty......i wish the world would just do the the and just either do/use them or just compltly ignore it.....its not worth a moment of my life. I wanted to ignore this (as it was a few months back by the looks of it, i should of ignored it, but i just couldnt. I know a women who is a J sized cup, and thats big. Now shes only in her early 20's and shes pretty much in a walking frame because of the weight they carry (lordosis?, some back screw up)..... shes on painkillers, and yet doctors will not let her get a breat reduction, they are lile, wait till your 30! She lost her job, her husbane cause well... with other health issues, a simple procedure would help her, but they wont let her.....Anyway, theres a lot of women in this situation, and it used to make me laugh how made she got when she heard women go "i want bigger breats" lol. Stupid M***er-F***ing doctors sometimes. Sorry just a rant, but i had to, cause her situation saddens me, and that comment was an easy target for me
