Model Behavior

KATE UPTON!

Did I get your attention?...

No, I don't know Kate Upton (though it would be awesome if I did) or any other supermodel, but something I've noticed is how harsh society is on models, despite the fact they appeal to so many people.  This isn't the first time I've brought it up how society treats women, but it is the first time I've talked about models.  To be honest, I don't pay much attention to them or many celebrity women in general since it's unlikely I'll ever meet them, and I don't know what type of people they are personally, but I have to say, Kate Upton is one of the most attractive women in the world.  She's obviously a beautiful woman, but she seems like a good person, that has worked hard her whole life to get to where she is.  Even if you don't like her, or think she's unattractive, you have to respect that.

One thing I don't like though, are those people who ogle at models or any other celebrities, but criticize them at the same time, or don't care about them?  I don't understand the point of that.  How can you truly get enjoyment from something you barely know?  Or how could you not care about them as human beings?  Like I said above, I don't know Kate Upton, but I wouldn't want to see her get injured, stalked, or hurt, like during a photo shoot.  But there are always those people who don't care, and just want to stare, which is wrong.  Models are people!  They're just doing their job.  They don't deserve to be dehumanized just because they're good looking.  If you act that way, then maybe you should stare deep and hard at yourself.

Too Much Make-Up

Words with different meanings always stand out to me, especially when the two meanings are used so differently.  Take the word make-up, for example.  In sports, if someone has good or bad make-up, that has to do with character issues.  But with cosmetics, make-up is what it is.  Something artificial to enhance someone's looks (sorry if I'm inaccurate with this, but just an opinion).

Make-up has come to my mind separately 4 different times the past few months.  The first time was when I found out one of my friends wore make-up when she went partying; a surprise to me because I think she's beautiful just the way she is (but the club scene is apparently different than anything I'm accustomed to).  The second time I thought about it was in my Psychology and Women class, since it related to the Beauty Myth and women's self esteem, which I found particularly interesting.  And yesterday, I thought about the issue twice.  Once was in class, when one of my friends told the story of how much she used to weigh, which was shocking because I never knew she used to look like that before.  While the other time was when someone who lived in my building walked by and was wearing way too much make-up; it was toxic.

All of these experiences are different, but they have one commonality, which is that we live in a culture that is obsessed with beauty.  I've talked about it before in my other blog post, but this time, I'm focusing on one specific thing.  I understand why make-up is around, and why we all want to look our best, but I think for women and even men who wear it, it is so unnecessary.  You're beautiful for being who you are, and that is something make-up can never do.  All it does is attract the wrong person to you (if you go clubbing), or knock people out, if you wear too much of it.  Since I've never worn makeup before, I can't say firsthand it's really that negative, but anything that has activists angry, isn't natural, or puts a person at risk doesn't sound good to me.  Not to mention, it takes forever for people to put on.  And by the time you're done, you forget why you even bothered putting it on in the first place.

I know women won't change any time, and the cosmetics industry is booming unfortunately from their advertisements and sales, but I hope there comes a day when men and women can look at a mirror and be confident in themselves.  That's good make-up to me.

The Burden Of Beauty

In my Psychology and Women course at school, we just got through the chapters discussing disordered eating, which is a scary thing for those of you who don't know much about it.  We learned about all the different types of disorders that are out there, the facts or myths about the beauty myth (depending on how you see things), and the enormous amount of pressure and insecurity women must go through daily because they are always judged by their appearance.  It's a terrible thing, but unfortunately the way things are.

As I was reading, like most times in my other classes, I was hit with a revelation.  Even though I was a man, I could relate to a lot of issues these women go through.  I've dealt with pressure and insecurities about myself because I used to be morbidly obese, and I sort of went through an eating disorder myself because I used to binge or not eat enough.  It was never to the point of being anorexic, but there were some parallels.  One difference between us obviously though besides biologically, was that I was that I knew I was the way I was because my doctor proscribed it for me.  I was obese because I was a certain weight above normal and it was affecting my health, which is why I started to change the way I am.  And I think it's worked as I've lost close to 60 pounds, and keep trying to achieve my overall goal of healthy weight and blood pressure.

That brings me to women.  As I said, it's terrible they are constantly judged and stigmatized by society, but they have the ability to overcome it because they have the ability to overcome anything.  I mean look at their feminist movements having the right to equal education and voting.  If you learn or research about it like I have, it's really inspiring stuff.  What I have a problem with, is when society affects a woman so much, that they think they need to lose weight or be more beautiful because it's necessary to succeed in life, when that isn't the case at all.  I think that's what society wants because they want people to use their money and buy their products.  But most women are beautiful just the way they are.  They don't need to lose weight or anything; they just need to feel confident and act like themselves.  I know it's difficult because society is so critical, but eventually gets through it.

The important thing you all should know is that only a small percentage of people will ever look like models (based off genetics), and that people in advertisements and magazines have their photos airbrushed most of the time, so that's not a realistic way of how to look.  I mean, how could a person look so perfect when there's no such thing as a perfect person?  So the point is, always be yourself.  Don't ask yourself if something makes your butt look big, or if you're fat?  Chances are you're fine the way you are.  And if you ever want to be sure, ask your doctor because a professional opinion helps the most when society clouds our minds with mixed messages.

Now to be honest, this topic only came to me because of class and because I have friends who constantly say they're not beautiful when they are.  I wish people could see themselves the way I see them though since then they'd see how wonderful they really are because of everything else.

The Un-Beautiful People

In my house, we have tons of magazines from Time to TV Guide, but the magazines that always stand out to me are Entertainment Weekly and People magazine.  It's not just because I'm a film guy; it's because of who they have on the cover, which is always celebrities (barring some tragedy).  Nothing makes me pay more attention to them than when they have a headline which says "Best Dressed" or "Sexiest Woman Alive".  You'd think something like that would make me drool, but it doesn't.  I honestly think it's sick.

Forgive me if I'm being a hard-ass on this subject, but it's the feminist in me.  I think it's nice to acknowledge beauty when it's there, but publications like magazines only advertise beauty and objectify people.  You never see average looking people like a majority of people actually are.  You see someone like Beyonce or Matt Damon.  For someone young, who reads magazines all the time, seeing those type of people all the time can be damaging to their self esteem.  They may think that to be well liked, they have to be that good looking, which can lead to serious consequences if the wrong steps are taken.

It's not just the focus on beauty I hate in magazines; it's the fact that most of the time, it's fake!  I've read in articles and books, that most magazines airbrush and clean up advertising and pictures of even the most beautiful people in the world.  Don't believe me, you can read anywhere about what happened to Beyonce or Kate Winslet when something like that happened.  They were pissed off!

I'd be lying if I said there weren't beautiful people in magazines, because I think some celebrities are attractive, but honestly, why pay attention to beauty in magazines, which is fake and unrealistic, when there is beauty around all the time?  What I mean is, there's beauty around us all the time in regular everyday people, so why focus on people in magazines?  Case in point, there's one woman I know, who is absolutely wonderful.  She's one of the most beautiful people I've ever seen in my life.  She's not a celebrity, but she's real and has personality, which to me stands out than any celebrity in some magazine.  People in magazines are beautiful, but give me a person I know any day, and I'll be satisfied.