Monday, April 14, 2008

I'm Not A Superficial Bitch?

I’ve been thinking about the idea of “beauty” for a while now. And the conclusion is that “beauty” is just that…an idea. I don’t think there’s anything remotely universal about it as evidenced by all the different standards of non-western beauty. Western ideals of beauty are by far the narrowest of them all and it pains me to say that I am completely susceptible to them. I suppose that ideally I’d like to live in a world in which physical appearance wouldn’t matter and we’d all be judged by our character and intelligence. But that would be extremely naïve. The truth is that “beauty” DOES matter.

It’s rather a self-perpetuating evil- if you’re told how good you look on a daily basis it becomes rather hard to not let yourself be wrapped up in that image. On one hand it’s embarrassing but at the same time completely flattering and I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t (secretly) relish it. Part of me hates it but part of me loves it too. I judge people based on their looks all the time, especially girls that I view as potential “threats” and constantly feel the need to put others down based on their negative qualities. I suppose it’s the bitch in me. But yeah, I know it’s wrong since I wouldn’t want to be judged like that although it’s safe to say that I AM being judged. So it’s a double edged sword. On one hand I’m all about female empowerment but on the other I don’t even think twice about making a nasty, superficial comment. *Sigh* So what’s pretty to ME might not be pretty to someone else and vice-versa. I suppose I shouldn’t judge people’s personal preferences.

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