It struck me the other day when I was talking to my Middle School students about their thoughts on beauty that something is wrong. At the young age of 16 they were more than willing to get plastic surgery to change the things they don’t like about themselves. They also claim to believe that the way they look is more important than the person they are. Believe me, I tried to shrug this off as a language barrier, but it became apparent that it wasn’t the case and that they were quite serious. This topic certainly generated good discussion for our English class, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.
Of course in some respects we are all guilty of this. Sometimes looking the mirror and seeing our reflection can be sheer torture and we would love to look like someone else who is thinner, has longer hair, a smaller nose, a bigger nose, better skin, larger breasts, is stronger, etc., etc., etc. – the list goes on. However, I have just never felt the impact of our societies’ unattainable definition of beauty like I did when I was staring at those girls in my class who, to me, look perfect. They are young, they are intelligent, they are funny, witty, interesting, creative, outgoing, kind people. I worry that it is getting more and more difficult for young people to be able to look inside themselves and feel truly beautiful.
I came across this wonderful blog called ‘YOU ARE REMARKABLE’ and it was this quote, from this website, that compelled to write something down:
A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely. — Roald Dahl, The Twits
Let us try to be kind to ourselves and remember all the many ways that we are each truly beautiful.
♥
