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Your Face is Going to Freeze Like That…
I recently read an article from Tyee, entitled, Eat, Pray, Botox. I was intrigued by the title, and the photograph of Julia Roberts as I was going through my feedly feeds. I’m usually not interested in celebrities, or botox for that matter, but something about this post piqued my interest. I read the article, which is very interesting by the way, and felt the urge to leave a comment.
The author of the article poses a very valid question to her readers – “Is standing up for a woman’s right to freeze parts of her face really part of the work of contemporary feminism?” There is such irony in that. As the author points out in her piece, the feminist movement began in opposition to the ludicrous beauty standards of the day, and now we have the president of N.O.W. (National Organization for Women) making the case for not imposing the Bo-Tax so women can continue to afford the treatment for the sole purpose of seeking and gaining employment.
That is very sad.
What Society Deems Beautiful is Unrealistic
The standards women are supposed to live up to are ridiculous, unnatural, and frankly scary. Women today are killing themselves (probably in the literal sense too) trying to attain something that is unattainable. I won’t succumb to the media’s distorted views, although as a teen I did. I take every opportunity to teach my daughters (and son) about what real beauty is. It’s not about dress size or the number of lines on the face. True beauty lies on the inside. That sounds cliche, but it’s true. We are all beautiful in our own way.
God never creates ugly people – that is something we tend to forget. If the world were filled with size 2 people running around with no expressions on their faces, this world would be a very boring, very hard to read place. I mean, how would we know when someone was happy, sad, mad, or puzzled with everyone parading around town with a look of indifference on their face?
Here’s my comment on the article, Eat, Pray, Botox:
What constitutes beauty these days is just plain sad. If you’re not a size 2 or 4 with a blindingly white perfect smile, and no wrinkles in sight, then you’re just not considered beautiful by the mainstream.
I feel sorry for those who crumble under the pressure of trying to attain an unattainable, unrealistic standard of beauty, which in my opinion looks ridiculous. Our bodies were made to move, jiggle, and sag as we age, and that in itself is a beautiful thing. Those who try to paralyze it are missing out on a beautiful part of life. Plus all of that wasted money that could be spent helping others instead of on silly surgery.
I for one don’t want to look like an expressionless blank slate, nor do I want to inject myself with botulism.
What about you? Where does your opinion lie in the beauty debate? Are you for cosmetic procedures, or against them?
Michelle
I'm a lover of life and all things natural and organic. I love practicing yoga, making healthy foods, nature photography, DIY projects, making homemade beauty treats, and creating handmade jewelry. I'm passionate about a lot of things and write about them here on my blog. Peace, social justice, good food, green beauty, sustainable living - you name it, I care about it. Thanks for taking the time to visit me. Peace. ;)
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I need to give props to my pals for sharing such an fascinating blog post to me. Stopping by your blog assisted me a great deal with my research. =))
I don’t like the way women look with botoxed faces. It doesn’t look natural, and certainly not beautiful.
I hope my kids will follow more in my footsteps when it comes to how they feel about their looks. I wear makeup less than once a year. I have gray hairs but don’t dye them. I focus more on trying to keep fit than on numbers on a scale. Kind of hard to focus on numbers on a scale when I don’t own one.
I can’t imagine getting any sort of plastic surgery just for vanity. There are other things in life I’d rather spend my money on. For others looks are just that much of a priority.
Stephanie – Green SAHM recently posted..12 Ways to Naturally Keep Your Home’s Air Cleaner
Boy Stephanie, I couldn’t have said it better myself! I completely agree with you. It’s funny, it sounds like you’ve just described me instead of yourself.
Thanks for taking the time to voice your thoughts!
The image of a “world filled with size 2 people running around with no expressions on their faces” was really terrifying. That would work well in a documentary on the topic.
I had never heard of the Bo-Tax before reading this post, and I’m honestly not quite sure how I feel on the topic. I think the motivation behind it disturbs me more than anything. The government wants to generate more revenue, which I understand, but perhaps they should first consider cutting some of their spending…or reassigning it from war to more useful things, like education. I think that makes more sense than adding new taxes…on anything.
Have you read The Beauty Myth?
Hi Holly,
I’ve never read The Beauty Myth, but have heard of it. I need to put it on my reading list for sure!
I agree with you, the government does need to re-prioritize its spending. There’s far too much money wasted on killing, and not enough money put forth for preserving and enriching people’s lives here at home.
Thanks for joining in the conversation!
[New Post] Got Botox? – via #twitoaster http://greenearthbazaar.com/2010/08/got-...
This is a really interesting debate. I know very little about the feminist movement and it’s ideals but I’d say that Botox and plastic surgery is a womans choice. I’ve never seen anyone who looked better after Botox. Real or celebrity. It seems addictive, I’ll looke great after just one more…
I can’t say if I’d ever try it or not. Too hard to know what the future will hold. I hope not.
Kristin @ Peace, Love and Muesli recently posted..We Made Our Own
You’re right Kristin, it’s definitely a woman’s choice. I find it terribly sad, however, that women feel they need to go to these extremes to stay young and beautiful. It’s expensive, dangerous, and frankly I feel women (and men) are missing out on a beautiful part of life when they try to beat the aging game. Aging naturally is a beautiful thing.
Thanks for the comment!