The Airbrushing of our Lives

I have found something within myself.

Wait, let me put that a different way.

An ideal in myself has shall we say, evolved? Grown? Broadened?

When I was younger, I was told how ugly I was. How no one would want me. To those of you that have heard me talk about this time in my life, you may be weary of its mention. It affected me to the point that I became obsessed with beauty and the idea of what it is that defines beauty.

I discovered my own beauty in my twenties. I cried after a Mary Kay party because for the first time, I was beautiful. Beautiful because I too, could have a face full of make up that enhanced these awesome features that I have and make them look- beautiful.

That is not what I want to talk about. Just giving a little backstory.

The idea of that beauty has evolved into a love of natural beauty. I have always loved and appreciated nature. Nature has cracks, fissures and rotting leaves. It has beauty even with those things that we would consider ugly.

I watched the movie Willow recently. In it, I found beauty in the characters for not only their actors, because the make up in the movie was simple. It was not flawless airbrushing that we have become accustomed to.

There were cracks.

There were fissures.

I am growing older, I now appreciate all the cracks and fissures I am gaining of my own. I look at older women and get excited at their unique faces, to see where mine could be.

I am enjoying the rotting leaves of nature.

I am finding that I am saddened by how airbrushed we would like ourselves to be. Only those without any pores in our skin or wrinkles around our eyes become important enough to deem beautiful. You can even get a program that has learned what beauty is supposed to be and puts in your picture!

Are the pictures after they've been retouched beautiful? Yes. Are they beautiful before? YES!

Let us maybe take a look at ourselves and our lives. Are there blemishes? Spots? Wrinkles? Yes. Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking for the grotesque to become the standard bearer for beauty. I am asking that if you made choices, then stand by them. Accept yourself at every awkward, bizarre and funky moment and realize- you really aren't as bad as you think. You could use a little touch up, but you are beautiful.

I am asking that we find some balance, some moderation with it.

Go ahead and airbrush out a little bit, but don't take out everything that makes you unique and shows what your life has been like. I know I've found myself attracted to things that add to it.