Body Image (and its associations with our culture)

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

Saying Goodbye, Day Two

Strange things abound when you're the only one in the school to leave mid-year.
It's strange that it's less than a week away. It's strange that there are homework assignments that I don't need to do because I won't be there. It's strange that I'm saying goodbye to some teachers. It's strange that people are excited for me. It's strange that these are the last days I've been anticipating for the past year, preparing and steeling myself.
I could go on and on.
But now I'm on top of things and everything's starting to wind down. I got my ballet teachers presents, I have all my homework done, I went to visit my fifth grade teacher, I'm making a list of emails and giving out my blog address for people who want to know what will be happening. And I need to go by postcards. That's on the to-do list, which thankfully is growing ever shorter.
Everything is coming together so fast. Tomorrow I'm getting my braces off and getting my retainer, which is cutting it quite close and seems like waiting for disaster. But hey, these things have been permanently in my mouth since December 2009 or so. I'm more than happy to get 'em off. It means no more monthly visits to the orthodontist, easier cleaning of teeth, and less limitations in food. I am giving thanks.

I said goodbye to a few teachers today, among them my French, Latin, 5th grade, and one of my favorite ballet teachers. All of them bade me good luck. It feels like I'm off on an adventure, and in fact I am. Here we go on a journey.

Realness Scale: 8

Plans for 2012

I'm definitely hoping that 2012 will be a whole lot less crazy than 2011, but I'm thinking it might be too much to hope, what with the Israel ordeal. Mostly I'm hoping that it's not so crazy I can't handle it. I dislike not being able to handle things as much as I dislike being wrong.
I'm not making any resolutions this year, because I know I'm not going to keep them, but I know that I will be blogging every day or so and I will be doing NaNoWriMo this year and I will be trying to stay positive and I will keep writing and I will keep reading. So yeah. Those are resolutions of sorts.
Have you got any resolutions?