Be Beautiful— But Be Not Beauty Sick.
“Beauty is Pain” is a common notion we need not accept.
Ever since being a toddler — as now learned from elders — I wouldn’t tolerate wearing those beautiful fairy-like dresses that were even slightly uncomfortable.
I’ve thus promised to never let this trait go.
I shall never, under normal circumstances, let myself suffer physical discomfort for the sake of appearing more beautiful.
Being 'Beauty Sick' is being so in love with physical beauty so much that makes one overlook the physical (and mental) health or comfort of the person.
This is not to mock or discourage women from beautifying themselves. Beauty inherently seems inseparable from Femininity. In fact, it makes a majority of women happy to wear makeup and ornaments, to experiment various looks with them. It’s fun and satisfying.
But the problem lies in being dependent on it that it embarrasses some of the women to show their bare face without making it up the way they like.
Some wear it as a want (for fun/ when wanting to look a certain way) while others use it as a need (as a daily requirement to look presentable in public).
It sure isn’t bad to ‘love’ putting it on as much as it is to feel ‘empty’ without it— which is often a result of insecurity inducing comments when people assume she’s sick or tired when she’s just without her ‘everyday makeup.’
It Does take a Toll on (Emotional) Health
I guess we all agree that makeup is fun when one’s joyful— not when not being in the right mood. But it’s made very complicated by making a certain standard of make-up a compulsion at certain events and places. I can only match the standards in my way when I’m very excited and have the will and energy to do so, not when I’m uninterested at the moment.
It screams that you are allowed to feel down but not look like that, and so they accordingly create products as well—
Cry while wearing waterproof mascara and smudge-proof kajal; spend as many sleepless nights because we do have concealer to cover the dark circles; doesn’t matter if we don’t eat right, just buy a foundation that provides more coverage, and we have plenty of options for tinted lip balms/gloss to keeps your lips coloured without addressing any underlying issue.
It occurred to me while thinking about when I was without my lip balm during the viva and the professor asked if I had anemia because of how pale my lips looked. The point is, when we continuously choose to opt to “make up” any blemishes, we tend to become lenient towards the issue that causes it and put less effort into actually fixing it. Health conditions indeed show up on the face. I really wish females took more care about how to heal than to hide.
Buying Confidence by Selling Confidence
One has to honestly answer if she really loves beautifying herself or is simply being a victim by buying into what the world is trying to capitalize.
We know they capitalize out of our insecurities. Permanent makeup , they’ve introduced , for such insecure beings. Fashion is always demanding, and highly exploitative, if it is let loose. They keep producing products and services— various types of acrylic and gel nails, breast implants, coloured lenses, rhinoplasty, liposuction, threading, lashes and extensions— anything to rob us out of originality.
I know it’s a choice, but the choice is in how to be victimized.
Do we really not realize that commercial models and actresses are required in such a way as to tempt the lusty eyes? To dress in a certain way is the norm there and anyone being its part has to opt for the same.
‘Freedom’ and ‘choice’ are only illusions when the propaganda says covering is oppressive, revealing is empowering.
When force doesn’t have a chance, influencing does the work.
Most advertisements are intended for females. They create a problem we never knew existed and then pretend to create a solution for it. It’s the way of marketing that sows the seeds of perceived flaws.
The least we can do is to be conscious of it.
Let’s think in Domestic terms
Does a pimple suddenly appearing on face really ruin the trip or festival? Why are only women the target audience of skincare products if it is actually a necessity? Men don't need protection from sun, rain, and cold, perhaps their body has an in-built shield? Do we really need a seven step skin care routine, or is it a call to maintain a healthy gut?
There are jokes about how females don’t care that it’s winter while wearing revealing clothes. There are jokes about how some females use so many filters in pictures that they become unrecognizable in person.
All of these getting out of your way to feel more attractive.
Does one need to be beautiful to be loved?
At some phases of life, even the most natural physical feature bothers to a great extent. Been there, searching on the internet on how to fix it, the answer to which is obviously acceptance. But what if even after my acceptance, someone else doesn’t accept to love me with it?
We suffer in vain.
The thing is, the insecurities aren’t always in the head. People indeed are judgemental. They really have a hard time accepting a female with a flaw (according to commonly set standards of society). But if we keep altering it in order to [cater to] be the perfect subject matter of constantly changing beauty standards, its authenticity reduces.
A true admirer of beauty can never disregard its authenticity.
If my looks ever be the reason for distancing someone, I'd accept that it really mattered to them more than my way of conduct, so they aren't surely right to be around.
After all, “I love you and so you look beautiful” is better than “I love you because you look beautiful”.
In Conclusion
The urge to be ‘seen’ manifests as being beauty sick. Rebelling against this does not mean to say to stop taking care of beauty.
It’s an attempt to persuade to rejecting superficial tactics of beauty, which doesn’t mean the same as rejecting beauty.
Beauty is ensured by grooming oneself without taking a toll on physical and psychological well-being.
Have one rule that to stick with— if it isn’t comfortable, do not compromise.
It’s not that we don’t know about this exploitative nature of struggling to be beautiful, yet we do hopelessly follow it. But think of your inner child, look at your past photographs. Would you like imposing on them the consequences of your insecurities? You would surely want her to be happy and beautiful without being hard on her.
