Where’s Natural Beauty Gone?

Where’s Natural Beauty Gone?

These days, seeing thin/slim models on billboards, adverts in shop windows, and on TV adverting clothes, you cant escape the bombardment of thin is beautiful and “being thin is better and it makes you happy” message that it portrays.

But recently this hasn’t just been the only thing that I have feel, bombards us women, and men to some extend. I have been watching a lot of TV recently, and the amount of adverts for beauty products to make ourselves better and more appealing I would have said is more bombarding than seeing thin ‘role models’ every day.

The Ads-

Make up ads that include voluming of eyelashes such as the "Max Factor" advert, hair products that includes hair dye, hair volume shampoo, hair spray that reduces frizz, and of course all the waxing adverts, such as "Veet" , "Garnier" , "L'Oreal" , and "Maybelline", I find makes me less inclined to buy them, even with Cheryl Cole or Kate Moss saying they work wonders.  

 All these types of ads I am fed up of seeing. I know most people would just tell me to not watch it if I hate it that much, or just change the channel, but looking more closely, I realised what all this beauty advertising was doing.

By adverting to maximise the thickness of your eyelashes, dying your hair for more bright and healthy look, making it look like you have more head hair, getting rid of curls or frizz, and of course having no hairs on any hairy part of your body, is basically what they are trying to make one do by advertising these types of products.

Not just this is an issue, but all these things is making us change ourselves just to be within the category of beautiful, or how I see it, as everyone else.

That massive point of time when hair straighteners banged out onto the high street, and every teenager wanted them for Christmas. Is that meaning that retailers and hair companies want every woman to have straight and thin hair? 

 The stupid thing is, that you have so many hair products that say to maximise your hair, and yet others totally contradict that and say to minimise it. Hair straighteners and so many hair shampoos and hair sprays after washing your hair, reduces volume and frizz of the hair. And somehow the only way to have volume is by using a crap load of hairspray, products like matt clay or wax, or backcombing your hair.  What is wrong with leaving your hair to go it’s own natural way?

As for hair dying, well, I do realise that hair dying is a way of expressing one’s self, for instance people who have purple or blue hair, but dying one’s hair a natural colour like a lighter shade of brunette, when you already have brown hair is silly. Just wait for the summer, you will get natural highlights sitting in the sun for free. The same with dying hair blonde, lets face it, dyed blonde will never look as natural and good as natural blonde hair. But again, what is wrong with your natural hair colour?

 Making your face more noticeable with the entire make up is also silly. I do realise the reason we wear lipstick and lipglosses, is to make our lips redder. From this, more appealing towards men as it appears we are in heat (if you want to go back into human history). That makes sense to me.

As for the eyelashes and eyebrows, well…. First the eyelashes. Piling on the mascara to thicken, lengthen and maximise eyelash length, width and other things, I feel is just silly too. Yes a bit of mascara especially for pale lashed women to brighten up the eyes agreed, but all the lashes everywhere, some look like dragqueen lashes, bigger than the actual eye itself. As for fake eyelashes, well that’s worse. Having bigger lashes, more lashes and thicker lashes aren’t going to get you noticed, or if it does, it’ll be in the wrong way. What’s wrong with the eyelashes you have anyway? 

 Same with eyebrows, the ‘in’ eyebrows are either thin or thick and bushy. I agree keep them neat, but drawing on your own eyebrows every morning in pencil… that looks weird and again, fake. What’s wrong with the natural curvature of your eyebrows anyway? 

I have nothing wrong with keeping yourself looking neat, tidy, pretty and wanting to look more attractive, but in my eyes, buying all this product to make one’s self look more attractive, and what is seen as ‘better’, I feel is totally the opposite. Is the plain palette on one’s face not enough? Is the natural colour of your hair, skin and lips not attractive enough, or how the hair on your brow, eyelids and head not growing in the correct way?

Beauty products, hair, skin whatever else you name it, is to enhance yourself and supposedly make yourselves look better than you already are. In doing so, making you feel that what you start off with before slapping on all the stuff, is not attractive. This results in one needing to use these products.

All I can say is, as long as one’s hair is clean and not greesy, combed and tidy, with no split ends, surely that’s all that matters? Same for the appearance, as long as someone’s face is well presented, clean and fresh looking, there is no need for covering the face up with make up surely?

What happened to natural beauty?

For example, whenever I see a woman with really curly hair, I think “good on her” because she hasn’t gone out of her way to purposely get straight hair and look like everyone else. This is the same if I see someone with no make up, which is rare I must admit.

Art-

Looking at portrait photographers, who take pictures of people in their natural state, show how beautiful people are naturally without photoshopping, airbrushing and more importantly no products used.

An article in the daily mail the other week showed a series of pictures of a woman with different stages of make up on. Despite the article being about how much make up a women’s husband found attractive on her, it was very inspiring to see the differences between how much make up she wore and differences between them all.

I think everyone can agree with me that on everyone there is a limit when make up just gets slutty, trashy and just darn right ridiculous. Her husband preferred the forth picture, dolled up, however I feel that she looks a lot better in the first (no make up), and third image (a night out make up).

Personal Experience-

One of my family members uses so many products on herself its unreal! Fake eyelashes, thick eyeliner, bright red cheek blusher, slightly oranged foundation, with at least three layers of it on her skin. The whole of her dresser at home is full of products for hair, skin and all the rest. It’s mental, its ridiculous.

The funniest thing is that all her friends have seen her like this- piled up with lots of products. It was only at uni when there was a fire alarm going off in her halls in the middle of the night that everyone had to wait outside. With it being night-time, she obviously had taken all the make up off. None of her friends recognised her at first, because she looked like a completely different person without make up.

Personally if that happens, it should be a wake up call that you are wearing too much make up. That story just proves to me how different make up and products can make you look, as well as how “fake” it can make you appear.

In total opposite to my family member, I personally have never worn a lot of make up, or used hair products and the like. When I have worn make up, its light mascara, and a bit of powder foundation on my face. As for hair products, I wash my hair with bog standard shampoo (that is no shampoo that enhances brightness, shine or strength of hair etc), then rinse and blow dry. As for dealing with body hair, its all natural apart from under the arms.

I have no reason to slap on make up, wax my legs or hair spray my hair into position, apart from maybe covering up a few spots when I go for an interview or a family gathering such as a wedding. Even at Christmas I didn’t wear any. Skin products I too don’t use many, I wash my face with scrub and moisturise after, and drink lots of water for a clear complexion.

In my experience, putting on make up just makes me feel like I am wearing a mask on my skin, and I got my current partner of 3 years without making myself up.

I was teased for not wearing make up in school, and I even get jip from that family member still just because I am not like everyone else. Maybe that’s the reason why I don’t wear make up and stuff, is that because I didn’t, I have accepted what I have naturally. Plus piling it on doesn’t suit me, believe me, a school experience went wrong once is enough proof. What is the funny thing, is that by actually wearing make up despite taking it off for bed, one is damaging the skin, blocking up pours and aging one’s self. So somewhere down the line, from no wearing make up for years, I will look better than my family member.

It is not seen yet what our generation of product wearers will look like somewhere down the line after decades of piling it all on. And don’t even get me started in the fake department about using sun beds, fake tan and all that side of it. But I would have thought that by letting one’s skin breath and giving it natural sunlight, air and cleansing, that it would look better later on in life?

In conclusion-

I have rambled, complained and wouldn’t be surprised if I have annoyed some people who have read about how bad it is to product yourself up. All I am saying is that there is no point in making yourself look picture perfect in the bathroom mirror or shop window before entering the world outside, because as soon as you turn your head, start walking, the wind blows or the sun comes out, your perfect look is going to be ruined anyway.

All I am also saying is, what is wrong with natural beauty/wearing no make up? Have we all turned against ourselves and not liked what we see in the mirror? Is it that bad that we have to cover our faces up and half lie to whoever we chat up? We all may not have the perfect model look, or what we all see as ‘good-looking’ in others, but we do all have something, that someone else doesn’t have. We all have something that is attractive to someone out there, its just that someone seeing it in you.

We can clearly see what adverts do to try and make us buy their product, and make us feel left out, and make us all look a certain way and like each other. We know also that its not ‘cool’ to not wear make up, but for me, if you have to cover yourself up just to feel pretty then you aren’t comfortable with how you look naturally (in my opinion).

Pamper yourself, jazz yourself up, enhance your features, just don’t drown them. By all means get bath products and soak yourself in bubbles, and put cucumbers on your eyes, but using something to modify your look, that’s suppose to make you look better, I have longed asked myself- does it make you look better? 

So next time you are sticking on your fake eye lashes, brushing on the layers of foundation, even spraying tan on your arms, maybe getting the razors out to shave your legs, or putting cream in your hand to put in your hair, think- do you really need this to make yourself look good? Because if most of us answered “yes” to this, then we are all in some massive big trouble as a human race somewhere down the line, and is proof that we all have serious issues with ourselves.

Technology with Body Modification

Body modification is accepted because we all know we don’t love everything about our body, and we want to look young and youthful for as long as possible. so now we find it accepting to change ourselves because we don’t like something. Plastic surgery is one of the options to change one’s body; nose jobs, facelifts, Botox and even tummy tucks and the like are ways to enhance and improve the body.

The TV series nip tuck, are focused on two plastic surgeons and their practice in Miami Florida. On a daily basis they carry out operations and do surgery on people to make them happier about their lives and their bodies.  In reality we are putting things in and taking things out of our bodies when we undergo surgery to satisfy our thoughts on what looks perfect. Putting in butt and bust implants, and taking out fat and other disgusting things that our bodies need. 

  Looking at celebrities who get surgery done, in particular Heidi montag from the hills, she was already a gorgeous looking young women, and then went down the fake route. Question is- why?  

There is an increase in plastic surgery over the years, the last decade or so, and it is sad to think that there is that many people who don’t like what they see in the mirror. Yes we may have the technology now and obviously the money to change what we don’t like, but that isn’t a good enough reason to take drastic action. Any surgery whether its plastic or normal surgery has a high risk factor, and quite possibly always has a follow up and more surgery later on to update the previous surgery. 

Despite plastic surgery being an increasingly safe yet still problematic procedure to have done, there are other options for changing one’s body. Robotic limbs are starting to become accepted into society. We have already seen Paralympic runners with carbon fibre limbs, as well as this, we can see this type of technology now made to help disabled people, amputees and soldiers. This is a good thing, as an increase in a.i., helps those get their lives back. those who have lost their limbs, by using this type of body modification, puts body modification in a good light. 

Our technology is getting to a point now, where we can put things into the human body to help us. Pacemakers already help the heart beat, but how far will we go in order to make our bodies, and to go as far as the human race, better? 

Looking at the technology side to this, the film ‘repo men’ starring Jude law and  Forest Whitaker, concentrates on the technology that helps humans. It is a sci-fi action thriller film where artificial organs and body parts are put on credit. If you are in need of a new organ, but can't afford it, you have the operation done and then have to pay back the money accordingly, a bit like a mortgage payment.  

Now realistically speaking, if someone needs a new organ, you have to go on a waiting list, and have your dying organ replaced by someone else’s in a operation. So far we have only been able to replace organs with new ones or use technology to aid an existing organ. So this film that plays on the possibility of technology going that far that we are able to replace organs with a technological organ, is pure genius. 

The film’s story however is interesting, as of course no one can really pay off the amount of money they owe the company for giving them a new organ. Heart, kidney, liver, and eyes are just a few of the body parts advertised within the film’s story, however all sorts of body parts are able to get replaced by technological ones such as knees, voice boxes and more. 

Understandably if this was real, and we really did have the technology to make improved organs and body parts, this would be a brilliant way to replace the parts which have been damaged by disease or no longer work due to an accident for example. But this film shows a darker side to this, with people getting new body parts for the sake of it. one of the main characters Beth played by Alice Braga has so many parts of her body replaced by technology, its practically half robot half human. But some of her technological body parts she had done just because she didn’t like what she naturally already had. By changing her eye colour and the sound of her voice, is just an example similar to those who have plastic surgery done to change what they don’t like. 
 

A medium that takes this technology even further, is the game ‘Deus Ex- Human revolution’. This is a cyberpunk-themed action role-playing video game, with it set in 2027, the central topic is the ethics of advancing humans with artificial replacements for body parts. 

Looking at the live-action trailer on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gcsd6mJ3R08 ), it really hit home. Taking away the fact that this is a trailer for a game, and put it in the context of a possible one-day reality of our world. Watching the trailer while putting yourself into the world of it, really makes you think.

It is said that if one doesn’t change, then one would feel less than everyone else, less strong and less intelligent. Also the phrase “if you don’t take the drugs you die”. The back-story to the game is that if a person gets a technological body part, they have to keep taking this special drug in order for their body to not reject the technological aspects of it. But getting the drug costs money, and if you don’t have the money to buy the drug, the body part will turn against your body.  

This ‘changing to become better’ stigma is similar to getting anything changed to fit in. if everyone looks a certain way or even dresses a certain way, one doesn’t want to be the odd one out. We as humans can’t help it; we are wired to be part of a group, and in doing that we need to fit in. The end slogan of the trailer is

‘be human, remain human”.

Maybe the underlined, hidden more deeper meaning behind this slogan as well as maybe changing the body generally is to remain human, remain true to yourself. Don’t change your image; love yourself for who you are. Of course the message of the trailer and the slogan for the contents of the game is completely different, but if one looks at it from a body image, confidence, love you point of view, it totally makes sense.

Looking at the trailer from a realistic point of view, one can so see this type of trailer not only for a film, but the issues that it addresses, not surreal at all.

It wouldn’t surprise me if somewhere down the line, like beauty products say they help get rid of wrinkles for instance, that companies take advantage of people wanting to change themselves, and some sort of world develops like in the back story of dues ex game or in repo men film. I have do hope that some sort of technology does help those who need it, such as accident victims, and those who have lots limbs etc, because that’s what I feel technology like this should be used for. As for those who want to use the technology just to improve on their already perfect bodies, like what plastic surgery does.

Like I said earlier, I feel sad that it is clear that so many people are upset and don’t like their bodies. Agreeably we all have something we don’t like, but that’s the beauty of the human body and the differences between us all- we are all different, and the imperfections of ourselves as people, as well as our bodies, makes us who we are, and it makes us perfect.

If we were all the same, as in if all women were thin with big boobs and blonde hair, where’s the variety and sexiness in that? All men going after the same type of women, not attractive, and the same for men, if all the men were the same, women would become bored of the chase.

We may get fed on a daily basis what is the idealistic view on what perfect is, but it is clear from surveys, data, and the general public’s point of view, that we all are only human, and we are perfect as we are, because if we weren’t, or if we don’t think we ourselves are, then if we don’t love ourselves, who else will? No one likes someone who is always complaining about their bodies, weight, how they look, or at least that’s the reaction I have got from asking some of my friends.

We shouldn’t be comparing ourselves to the person in front or behind of us, we should be looking at our own reflection in the mirror. If you don’t like what you see, there will be someone out there, a friend maybe, who envies the part of you that you don’t like, and they wish they had what you have. That’s what make us all unique, no one else has what you have.

So no need for solutions on how to make yourselves better or prettier, or more attractive through body modification, because you already are. 

 

Raquel