Foreign Beauty

AN OBSESSION over what people see in the mirror has hit an all time high. Make up, hair, tans...the list goes on and on. The blame likes to be thrown around, pointing fingers at models or magazine publications in being the ones who are shaping the minds of the youth with "beauty corruption". Yet the only thing advertisement does is give people what they want to see and their approach is influenced by watching you. In simpler terms, if the public didn't care for appearance then, magazines or any kind of media wouldn't care to portray beautiful people, slim figures, or photo shopped faces. There would be no point in advertising something people didn't care about or didn't interest them... it just wouldn't sell.
    Now this need to be perfect is from the "American" perspective. Many would be surprised to encounter  a population that their first priority didn't consists with goals of perfection. I've had the amazing opportunity to spend time in Europe, Berlin to be more exact, and right away differences stood out like neon colors on a neutral background. I have very rarely seen girls with caked faces, tans, hair ruined with products, you name it! The mainstream here seems to be: Natural Beauty. When I say natural beauty, I don't just mean go walk down the streets with no make up, I mean embracing your features and flaws. The best way to view this European way of thinking, is looking through their advertisement where you'll find normal, simple girls. The best example would be the popular mascara commercial from London, where a girl with a very noticeable gap in her teeth is the focus of attention and says, "The London look". Step away from ignorant comments and really think about what that commercial is trying to say for a second.
     The idea of embracing flaws, was a little harder to grasp even for myself,  as I have always been troubled by my Spanish inherited nose. For the longest time, I hated it. I have a pretty face, but an ugly profile when I turned and I was so embarrassed by it that whenever I would pass by people I would "fix" my bangs with my hand in order to cover my profile as I walked by. My nose is actually not that bad, but in my head, I magnetized the problem like thirty times. However, as I spend more time here in Germany, I've caught myself forgetting that habit of hiding my profile. It was so weird, but after thinking it over, it all made sense. I've lived in the U.S for most of my life, the land where perfection is needed, and aging, which was once seen as beautiful and a sign of wisdom or respect, is now seen as ugly and avoided at all costs. And because of that, I didn't have the chance to see things from a different perspective, until now.
     I am in no way saying that girls should't have the pleasure of putting make up on and feeling pretty, I do it all the time! I love trying out new looks and experimenting with my make up. However, there is a fine line between making your appearance prettier for your own pleasure (or significant others) and altering your appearance for the general public. What's the point of looking good for people you don't know and will probably never see again? Do it for you, not others, and especially not because of what you think you NEED to look like. Embrace what you have and be the only person you were intended to be... You.