I've been reading Uglies. It's about a society in which when a person turns sixteen, they get an operation to turn them "pretty." And since everyone is so used to thinking of them as pretty, normal people are "ugly."
That got me thinking about body image and its role in our society. Everywhere you go, you get pictures of people who are pretty. They are often not as happy and "beautiful" as they seem - sometimes they take drugs or have eating disorders. Some pictures have been doctored to make these people seem more "perfect." Advertising and products always show us this kind of photos, delivering the message that only if you look like that you are pretty or handsome.
People know that this is bad, but somehow we can't avoid it. It's too ingrained in our brains for it to go away. Maybe, in a better world that will exist years from now, people will look back at us and think, "They thought that was pretty? Those people look so unhealthy and unreal." It's the same thing that happened to foot-binding. We look back and think it's ghastly, but people really used to believe that was beauty.
Some people are bullied and harassed about their body, which is something they sometimes can't change. Many of these people are already insecure about the way they look. I had one experience with this, when another person said to some people things about my body that I found hurtful. Certainly, a "perfect" body isn't everything. Isn't it better to have something that functions and lets you do what you would like to do in life?
At this point, I don't think there is anything we can do about our perception of beauty except try to look past it as individuals. Hopefully, one day this view of what is beautiful will have changed into something that can include everyone.
Cups of tea: 26
I've read Uglies :(
ReplyDeleteI found it too depressing a series so I stopped after Pretties