Did you know that there are certain people on this planet who are perfect and flawless? If you would just try hard enough, you could be perfect and flawless, too. Don’t believe me? Hair, makeup, diets, gyms, clothes, surgery… all of these things can help you achieve flawless perfection. Or perfect flawlessness? Probably both.
Honestly, it seems you can’t flip on the telly or open a magazine without hearing or seeing about some celebrity who has achieved this ideal state. And it’s such garbage. I don’t care if you think Emma Watson or Lupita Nyong’o or Scarlett Johansson is perfection personified, or if you think Matt Bomer or Idris Elba or George Clooney is without flaw. Because I’m sure that all of them have things that they dislike about themselves. Despite what People Magazine and Access Hollywood would have you believe, every one of them, no matter how beautiful or handsome they seem, has something about themselves they wish they could change.
Along those same lines, no product can produce perfection in you. Products can give you beach waves hair and younger-looking skin, Spanx may smooth out your lumps, but those things don’t make you perfect. Pay attention to ads, though, and notice how many of them promise you exactly that. Considering how much money we spend on beauty products, shouldn’t we all be blindingly flawless by now? Oh, wait… How many of the images we see are digitally manipulated?
Here’s something to think about: I know a woman who – get out your fainting couches – weighs north of 300 pounds. According to the BMI, she is probably going to drop dead at any minute (only after she drains your wallet to pay for her exorbitant health care bills, of course). I also know a woman who is pretty close to what society and the media consider an ideal female body (that is, thin but not too thin, with appropriately sized curves in appropriate places). Do you want to guess which of these two women loves their body more?
Top Google hit for “Who is the most perfect actor?”
Why do we spend so much energy, effort, and money striving for perfection? First of all, I truly believe that perfection is an unattainable state, especially physical perfection. Even the most gorgeous person you’ve ever laid eyes on is not perfect. There is no such thing as a flawless human being. So we can spend our lives reaching for what will always be outside our grasp, or we can focus on things we can achieve, like greater kindness, intelligence, strength, charity, good will, laughter, well being, and love.
And the top hit for “most perfect actress.”
And another thing about perfection? Even if you feel you have reached a perfect physical state, the rest of your life isn’t going to magically align. You aren’t going to suddenly be richer, wiser, or happier. Changing your body does not change your mind, your heart, or your soul.
One final thought: Our flaws and imperfections are not defects, despite the negative connotations of those words. They don’t make us less worthy, good, or attractive. They are what make us unique. Imagine how boring the world would be if we all looked like Beyonce and Michael Fassbender. I don’t know about you, but I prefer my life with a little more variety. I want bodies of all shapes and sizes to fill up my world: short hair, long hair, no hair, big noses, little noses, short, tall, slender, wide, able-bodied and not. Perfect and flawless sounds pretty boring in comparison.
