The Price of Beauty

Last spring, in an effort to revamp my social life and make new friends, I started a book club at work. Our most recent read Lisa See's "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" explores the friendship between two women in nineteenth century China over the course of several decades. I was educated on foot binding.

Apparently the size and shape of a woman's foot can determine how marriageable she is. She can even jump social classes from lowly farmer to diplomat based on the beauty of her feet. The process starts when the girl is about six years old, feet are wound tightly for a year or two, a special diet is involved and 8/10 toes must break to reform.

Painful and some might classify it as downright barbaric. It got me thinking, how every culture has their thing. But despite the variations from one culture to the next, the burden is always placed on the woman. I'll be the first to admit I'm no anthropology expert, but I feel well versed in what America considers beautiful.

In America thinness is valued above all else, even more so than a pretty face. There is no such thing as thin enough apparently. No wonder we have such a high rise in eating disorders among young women. As a child I was constantly berated for being fat, when I was only 5-10 pounds overweight most of my childhood. That would be chunky, chubby, ect....not the giant heifer I was painted out to be.

Think about all the products designed to "fix us". Control top panties, girdles, various forms of make-up, hair styling/coloring/straightening/curling/shimmering products, cleavage enhancing bras, thong under ware to hide pantylines, high heals, manicures and pedicures, tummy tucks/face lifts/liposuction/botox....wow that's exhausting just thinking about all that crap. Disheartening that I don't know a single woman who hasn't used some of the things including myself. How much money has been spent trying to become more beautiful in the eye of teh beholder that is America?

Do we do it for ourselves? Do we do it to attract a mate? Do we do it to seek approval from our peers? Why are we fed bullshit "It's what's on the inside that counts" but all we're told is what's wrong with us on the outside. There are countless beauty magazines purely designed to make us feel ugly. And I can't recall the last time I heard a man shout "Woah, look at the personality on her!"

Look at hollywood. How many leading ladies are paired with leading men that are less than steller looking?

I am so grateful based on my Visitor Count that people are actually reading my blog, especially after my long absence and inconsistent appearances before that. I can also appreciate that not everyone likes to comment, but today I'm asking for some feedback. What do you do in the name of beauty? Why do you do it? And do you think we set ourselves up to fail when we put such unreasonable standards on ourselves?