Supermodels sneeze. Every time I notice a small imperfection (or a big one, let’s be real) in what I look like, I remember that little tidbit. Sneezing is in no way sexy or elegant. It’s pretty gross, actually. And yet everyone, even porn stars and the Queen of England, sneeze at some point.
It may seem trivial to remind myself that everyone gets a little sniffly sometimes, but remembering that anyone can have a moment where their picture would look as ugly as it gets helps keep things in perspective. These days, supermodels are hailed as pinnacles of beauty, put on a pedestal to be emulated. I sure buy into it. I’m the first person to admit I wish I could look like they do in the clothes they wear. Celebrities make it look so easy: they glide down the red carpet like it’s nobody’s business. Imagining them sneeze jerks me back to reality. I can look at myself in the mirror and remember they have personal trainers to work out with and that their job is to look fabulous in what they wear. If I had a stylist, a huge fashion budget, and my own yoga instructor, I might be able to be that way, too. Instead, I’m a full time student with a moderate beauty budget and no closet space.
Every girl should have her own little reminders to keep her grounded in the reality of the situation. My roommate and I wrote, “We’re beautiful” on sticky notes and stuck them to the mirror in our room. I forgot it was even there most of the time, but after 5 minutes of fussing with my makeup, it was nice to catch a glimpse and take a step back. Fashion and beauty have become this imagined need for perfection in our appearances. Sure, it rocks when my jeans fit just right and the shirt hits at the right place on my arm. Everyday, though, my lipstick doesn’t need to be perfect and I can wear flats when my feet hurt.
It’s hardly fair to blame the media for the way we expect ourselves to look. Sure, magazines take already beautiful women and Photoshop them into extreme beauty robots. Maybe it would be refreshing to see an ad where the model’s knees look like actual knees. I might even appreciate a girl who has whispy hairs on her ponytail. At some point, though, we have to accept that you will notice the sweat on a woman’s forehead, or the pit stains on her shirt. Advertising is all about getting the customer to believe your product will make them a superhero.
Sadly, this leaves the blame on us. Sure, we’ve been fed these ideas since we were mere babies in our strollers, but as anyone who has been fed cafeteria food knows, you don’t always eat what’s in front of you. We all have to stop comparing ourselves to people who don’t exist (or who do and are paid to be beautiful). We should celebrate fashion as art and celebrities as entertainment. They don’t need to be role models for a perfect lifestyle.
I imagine you are shaking your head right now, rolling your eyes and thinking that you like yourself just fine and think it’s weird to put sticky notes up to boost your confidence. That’s fine, too. I applaud you, in fact. I want to learn your secrets. I love getting compliments, as I’m sure everyone does. Even if the compliments are from me, who cares? The key is to give yourself a little confidence boost. Tiny (and big) imperfections fade into the background when you feel like you look great. No one is going to notice if your eyeliner is not exactly even as long as you don’t rub at your eyes all day.
The average person is lucky. When you have a runny nose, your mom, your roommate, and maybe the person next to you in a quiet room will notice. If you were a celebrity, someone would probably photograph it and post it online.
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