Sunday, August 29, 2010

Body Image-- It's a Killer!

August 29th, 2010

The local news is like a ghost to me. I know it's there-- but it only comes out and catches my attention when necessary. Not that I'm an expert in the paranormal or anything...

With that being said, I came across an interesting story over the weekend. One from the local paper. Yet it traces back to Hollywood.

It plays out a little like this--

Once upon a time there was a beautiful girl. Normal girl. She went to high school. Earned excellent marks. Cheerleader, even. But she thought she was fat. Ugly. Imperfect. And why would such a wonderful creature think this? Because she compared herself to the girls she saw in the movies...

Obviously that isn't how the news story went, but that's how it played out in my mind. That's how the facts presented themselves. And it made me think-

Why the fuck do we hold ourselves up to such high standards?
And what kind of standards are we really holding ourselves up to?

Beauty has always been a part of the Hollywood scene. It's an industry full of beautiful people doing glamorous things. But society finds it necessary to compare itself to this high standard- only to be, in the end, disappointed.

And it's not just women facing body image woes. Men find themselves working harder at the gym, buying more expensive clothes, and even visiting the spa to physically compare themselves to their celebrity counterparts.

The thing is-- It's all fake.

Plastic surgery. Voice coaches. Stylists. Makeup. Let's face it- there's not a single natural beauty in Hollywood. And anyone who thinks that is an idiot.

What saddens me the most is that, at the end of my local news fairytale, the girl died. Hung herself in a closet. And all because she thought she wasn't perfect. I'm sure she wasn't, and that's the beauty of life. Imperfection.

If only Hollywood, and the world, felt the same way.

Peace, Love and Heartbreak ♥
A

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Andi,
I love the hell out of your blog. Thanks for sharing your opinions and observations with us. You're right about the "standards" that Hollywood and the media pushes at us...all of that bullshit. We can change our physical imperfections to fit the standard, but who wants to live like that..not me. not us. our flaws make us who we are, like it or not..we're stuck with ourselves so we'd better like our own company. Thanks for being a voice of reason out there. You rock! and Happy Birthday!

Ruben

Andi said...

Thanks Ruben! I just don't get it. I know I'm beautiful inside and out (despite my self-described thirst for blood) and that's all that matters. Hollywood is such a pain in the ass. Sometimes I wish I could do what I do without being in the middle of the mess.

Thanks for the birthday wish- love it!

Unknown said...

I don't get it either. It took me a while to accept who I am. But you know when you're a kid you've got blinders on and its so hard to see life for what it is. It's an adventure (albeit a boring one some days) I'm glad you're doing what you love to do..I'm still working on that one. The Hollywood machine is in definite need of a reboot.