Physical traits, both good and bad, can fade with time, it is what is inside that shines through to make a person beautiful. I had a friend that had most of his face burnt as a result of an explosion in a gem mine. He was a dashing, charming and very interesting man. We became fast friends and we would often meet up in a group at restaurants and night clubs in the city. At a particular club we would frequent, that where all the “beautiful” people hung out, I greeted this man with a kiss on both of his cheeks. I heard a woman gasp and exclaim “did you see that woman kiss that man with the burnt face?!” I didn’t register at first that she was speaking about me as I no longer saw my friend as the man with the burnt face rather the beautiful person he was.
So the question is….Is beauty really skin deep? Or are we all shallow? I think if we are honest we have to agree that looks play a big role in noticing someone. It is the first impression we get, that can make you look twice. But after that first initial look how much does body image play a role in our attraction to each other? For some it is a large part and for others not so much. Generally the feed back we got is that sexy is all about attitude and not about the ideal figure. Many so-called flaws can be overlooked if the person is confident and knows how to carry it. Junk in the trunk is a turn on for most men if the woman knows how to drive the car.
So, you have to wonder who we are doing the body makeover for. Is it for ourselves or is it mainly for the approval of others? Does it make any difference? The media plays such a huge role in shaping our ideal image of what makes a body beautiful. Based upon what is portrayed in magazines and advertisements, only 5% of the entire population of women could ever hope to achieve that “perfect” body. So if it is so unattainable to most of us why do we keep craving it so badly? The answer may be simply in our overexposure to these images. Girls nowadays see more images of beauty in one day than our mothers did in their entire adolescence. These images become our norm and force us to think we can achieve their ideal?
Plastic surgery has increased hugely in the past 10 years. Breast augmentation has almost tripled in occurrence and men’s surgical procedures have increased dramatically. Again begs the question…who are we doing this for? Do men really like fake vs. natural? Or will any boob do? Most men when questioned said as long as the woman can work it behind closed doors it doesn’t matter if they have been surgically enhanced. Big, small, fake or natural. It’s all good as long as they can get a piece of it!!
When women were asked if size matters (and we aren’t talking height here) they responded much the same…It’s not the size of the wand but the magic you can work with it.
So, we feel we ripped you off by not giving you a poll for B is for Body Image so here it is… this is for both men and women.….scroll down....way down...
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Being honest, as you say, there is no doubt that fine looks turn my head. That said, as I have journeyed through life I have come to appreciate that the inside is all that counts. A self centered attitude can make a beautiful person ugly, and a confident generous attitude can make anyone seem sexy.
I think the difficulty with looks is that we often rely upon them as a proxy for getting a measure of a person's health and vitality. So plastic surgery is relied upon as a fast path to giving this impression. However, as with anything, window dressing is window dressing. When I see a surgically enhanced bust or face for cosmetic reasons, I am left wondering what insecurity the person is trying to mask, rather than deal with. For me an important part of health and vitality and therefore attractiveness is attitude and self confidence. So, while surgical enhancements may cause me to turn my head once (or twice) after that it is substance over style all the way.
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