What Price Beauty?
Posted: Saturday, March 06, 2010
by Peggy Butler
PSB COMMUNICATIONS
True beauty doesn't come from a jar or surgeon's scalpel.
It comes from within, and is absolutely free.
Women are constantly subjecting themselves to torture--- in their pursuit of beauty and perfection. Thus, they endure the discomfort of having fat sucked from their stomach, so they can look great in a bikini. Moreover, they exercise to exhaustion, to eliminate those pesky 10 pounds that refuse to go away, no matter how many crunches they do. Ah! the splendor of beauty, and the agony of rituals and preparations.
Botox, liposuction, hair extensions, lip enhancement, breast implants, butt lifts, collagen injections, wild diets, and the beat goes on. Why do women allow themselves to be surgerized, pulverized and texturized in the name of beauty? Is it because society dictates that in order to be acceptable, we must look a certain way?
If we believe everything we see on television and in magazines, Angelia Jolie is the epitome of beauty. But what about women who bear little resemblance to the stunningly exotic Jolie? These are women who undergo surgery and spend thousands of dollars trying to compete with celebrities. Unfortunately, it's easy to see how women fall into this trap.
When many women reach 35, they begin to notice changes in their physical appearance. Skin that was once flawless, is now marred with tiny laugh lines at the corners of the mouth. Likewise, that formerly taunt body is now headed south, complete with bulging stomach and sagging breasts. Of course there are 20-year-olds, who also fit this profile. But for this column, we are limiting our observation to women 35 and over.
Recognizing the early signs of aging, women flee to the nearest surgeon. As one woman eloquently stated: "I had implants, so my breasts would stand at attention, and not look like two duffel bags." Opting for implants, a year later the woman noticed that her breasts were incredibly hard and sought the advice of another surgeon. He advised her to have the implants removed, which she did. Two years after the operation, she still becomes hysterical at the mention of the word implants. What Price Beauty?
Walk into any drug store and you're surrounded by wall-to-wall make up and skin care products. With so many choices to choose from, women can spend hours sorting through the impressive display. But are all these products safe? Absolutely not.
Reports exist of women purchasing soaps or moisturizers that are incompatible with their skin type. The result, skin they had to pay a dermatologist hundreds of dollars to restore to health. And speaking of products, even the popular Buf Puf facial sponge can reek havoc on sensitive skin. Because the puf is made of granulated fiber, it can cause abrasions if used improperly. What Price Beauty?
In prior generations, women would have blinked twice at the thought of having fat removed from their thighs, abdomen and buttocks. Now liposuction is a common procedure. And t's not just celebrities who're shelling out big bucks for this procedure, but everyday people.
But what happens if something goes wrong? What happens if the amount of fat evacuated isn't to the patient's specification? Is a second operation necessary? And if so, what are the medical risks? What Price Beauty?
The examples above are ways in which women allow themselves to be tortured. So how do we stop this vicious cycle? First, each woman must define her individual beauty in terms of herself and her personality. The old adage "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" is as true today as it was centuries ago. Try to distinguish between true beauty and physical beauty.
True beauty stands the test of time. Physical beauty fades with time. A woman should only compete with herself in terms of looks and size. Besides, regardless of how beautiful you are, or how tone and proportionate your body is, there is always going to be someone with a prettier face and better body. So, deal with it!
What happened to the days when women got an occasional nip or tuck? Now they're having their entire bodies refurbished from head to toe.
Ladies, how long will we endure bucking, clucking and plucking, in the name of beauty? Are we going to continue to let the world define us aesthetically? Or are we going to stand up and shout, my beauty is determined by me, and no one else. The choice is yours!
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)Great article, Peggy!
If we study the the body, however, we will discover that it has a number of holes, all of which secrete something; eye gunk, phlegm, mucous, feces, urine, sweat, snot, just to mention a few. And if we took all of these secretions and spread them on our coffee table, this would be closer to the truth of the body than a body deodorized, made up, dressed up and ordained with jewelry and trinkets. Then, maybe the next time we have friends over, we can show them our coffee table - as a conversation starter. :)
Best......e
Rock:I couldn't have said it any better. You know you really have something with the coffee table comment. Love it!
Rock:I couldn't have said it any better. You know you really have something with the coffee table comment. Love it!
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