Building a Foundation

The Dove campaign, which I had seen prior to watching the film, is a step in the right direction. I was just about to say that it had good intentions but realized that really isn't true. The huge industry of cosmetics and beauty has created an ideal image of beauty that is not realistically attainable. The thing that shocked me the most from watching the film was how much it was true. True when it talked about the way in which people define beauty. The movie focused on women and the pressure they have to look good but didn't touch much on the male side. It was acknowledged that it was also an issue but that there just wasn't as much research or information out there. Regardless, what shocked me was how I picture beauty and what I find attractive. That goes for how I judge other people to how I see myself, and it is a very stereotypical image that comes to mind. Indeed it made me feel a bit disgusted with myself, but also intrigued at the same time. If someone were to ask me what I find attractive in someone else it is almost completely based on what other people say is attractive. I've been told by so many girls that they love tall skinny boys. I am not a tall skinny boy and that has made me think that I am less attractive. And I say to myself right now, "How fricken ridiculous is that?" I have the same number of appendages on each side of my body, and am twenty-one years old, and I am self-conscious of my appearance?!?!!? It doesn't get much better than this right now, and this silly sense of what is attractive is beating me down? With that said, here is another conversation that I've had with many girls my age that I think needs to be shared.

Your skin is the foundation of your outward appearance, not the foundation you put over it! Make-up and your face are not like frosting and cake. I have never met a girl that I would rather see her with make-up on than not make-up on simply because she is not improving her "situation." All you are saying is that I am not comfortable with how I look so I'm going to put a different face over my own in hopes that people can't see right through it. I'm not trying to knock girls for wearing make-up, I'm just trying to say that I truly believe that seeing your skin as it is and your eyes how they are, is much more attractive, and that's my personal opinion. And maybe it is just a lack of knowledge of how to properly apply make-up, I'm not sure. I'm also not a woman so I can't relate, I can only tell you how I perceive things.

It is unfortunate that girls as young as elementary and middle school have self-esteem and confidence issues because of an image projected by the media. It's just one more situation where it is so important to be educated so we can have the ability to filter through all of the crap that comes across our T.V., computer screen, and magazine covers, just so we can know how feel good about ourselves. Maybe it would help to compliment people more. I think that's what I'm going to do.