The rail thin androgynous look is rarely natural and in
extreme cases involves a regimen of dieting, pill taking, purging and even
induced vomiting. A number of models have become seriously ill as a result
of the pressure to remain significantly thinner than their biological
norm. Some have even died as a result of being chronically malnourished.
This 'fashionable' form of self- abuse has begun to
change of late as the fashion industry responds to well publicized dangers
associated with self-induced thinness. Some fashion houses are now even
imposing mandatory weight requirements for models - a few pounds above the
skeletal ideal that was du rigeur in times past.
Beauty is big business. Entire professions owe their
existence to the creeping narcissism that won't allow even the best
looking among us to believe that nature's handiwork is quite good enough.
There is always more that can be done. A few hair plugs, a tummy tuck, a
face lift. There never seems to be any end to what the image conscious
believe they need to do in order to achieve an approximate degree of
perfection.
The more vanity surgery people get done, the more they
interfere with the natural template each of us has inherited. Someone with
an unfashionably long nose and a chin that recedes a little too much, is
unlikely to be perceived as unattractive if he or she refuses to be found
wanting in comparison with some designated beauty ideal. True beauty is
often flawed. The young Barbra Streisand was plain by glamor standards,
and yet succeeded in captivating audiences. True beauty is also after all,
about attitude. There is something genuinely beautiful about a woman who
is no
fashion magazine siren and yet who is possessed of unpretentious
confidence and flair. If a person doesn't view themselves as unattractive,
it's much less likely other people will.
Women who are obsessed with their physical 'flaws' and
who believe that a diet or cosmetic surgery will make everything alright,
are in some cases compensating for a lack of self- confidence or low
self-esteem. What they often discover is that the cosmetic work fails to
do the trick. The self-doubt returns, along with more obsessing about body
parts that require improving. It's a never-ending cycle in some cases.
The adage "to thine own self be true" should also apply
to physical appearance. Self-acceptance and a sense of humor, go a long
way toward making the best of natural assets.
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