|
LaTigresse -> Beauty..........what does it mean to you? (3/13/2008 8:02:43 AM)
|
Okay, this thread is prompted by an email conversation I had with Cjan this morning. In addition to several conversations I've had recently with other people.
I am 45, closing in on 46. I don't look like I did when I was 26. I am larger, my breasts sag more, I've got a few silver hairs, I can see a change in the texture of the skin on my hands, neck and upper chest. I cannot eat like I could at 26 and have the same body. I feel the ache of bad knees more. Little things really, none of them a real bother or upsetting. Still, they all point towards a clock that keeps marching on. The reality is, I am good with that. And strangely, that surprises some people.
Everyday we see examples of "perfect beauty". It is the world we live in. More often, those examples are images either on the television, in print or online. Even as most of us are aware that not only the subject is manipulated, the images themselve always are. We still compare our lives to these images, and all too often, our insecurities find ourselves and our lives lacking. Our homes are not as well decorated or clean. The flowers in our gardens are not as perfect as those on the packets the seeds come in. The food we prepare rarely looks like the example shown with the recipe. And on and on and on.
Last night I was discussing the explosion of plastic surgery in our culture. When did that look, especially for entertainers of a certain age, become the norm? We've all seen it, both in men and women, the freaky, taunt, perfect skin, plastic looking face. Most will agree it is not attractive at all. So, why does it continue? Why is it becoming the norm? Directors are struggling to find actors that can actually express emotion with their face. Yet, those that don't get the work are criticized by the media and don't get work either.
Now, myself, as one of artistic bent, have always found greater beauty in the imperfect. I prefer a tree that has been twisted and scarred by nature rather than one that was perfectly pruned. An aged stone wall over a newly built one. The face of an elder with years of joy and sorrow etched into it more than a babies.
Do a google search on black and white art photos. More often than not you will find a large percentage of aged and/or imperfect subjects. People that are not classically beautiful, nature in violent display, man made items that are broken and weathered. To me those images are beautiful. Obviously I am not alone since they exist to please others.
So why then, for our own attempts at reality do we strive for perfection? Why can't we see more of the beauty in the imperfect in ourselves and our own lives? Why is a scar on our body hideous and something to hide, instead of a celebration of imperfection and survival? Why do we prune and demand the tree in our yard be perfect, yet one that is not, be worthy of a photo in an art gallery?
Obviously I am not expecting all my questions answered. Just musing on something I see more and more of that troubles me. I wonder what such unrealistic expectations do, not only to individuals but humankind as a whole. Will we ever stop appreciating the unique and individual, the less than perfect? The perfectly wonderfully NOT perfect! The flaws and character marks that make something or someone, vitally "them" rather than an assembly line image. I hope not.
|
|
|
|
