It's A Beautiful Life

I figure that it's time for another edition of a classic piece that I wrote in the past, as my work schedule combined with a couple of other projects on the go has eaten up a lot of time lately.  Not making any excuses...it's just the way that things have gone.

This is a piece that I wrote back in the summer of 2010, and it was sort of inspired by a particular reality star trying to achieve perfection, and how it kind of made me see a little bit of red.

The piece is called "It's A Beautiful Life".  Yes, like the 1995 song by Ace of Base.

Anyway, the piece still holds true, even though Heidi Montag is sort of irrelevant as of 2015.

Is it just me, or are people just getting more and more obsessed with how they physically look as opposed to the impact they make on people just by being themselves? 

Granted, in recent months, I've taken a great interest in changing my physical appearance and improving my own personal style, but I'm not completely obsessed with it. I know that while I look and feel the best I've felt in my years on this Earth, I'm not absolutely perfect. Nowhere near it. But, at the very least, I can embrace the fact that I'm a little bit flabby in the gut, have a little less hair up on the scalp, and a little more hair everywhere else on my body. I'm serious about it too. 

But, enough about me. 

The unfortunate truth is that there are a lot of us guys and gals out there that strive for perfection. Perfect hair, perfect smile, perfect body, perfect tan, perfect everything. 

And, what's even more unfortunate? Perfection is impossible to achieve. 

Of course, you try telling people that. Especially in Hollywood, a place that celebrates public bronzing and squeezing into a size 0 dress. A place where if you know the right plastic surgeon, you too can achieve your dream of being a living Barbie doll driving around in your pink plastic convertible to your Malibu beach house where your equally plastic Ken is waiting for you with plastic underpants and a painted-on smile. 

Have I painted this picture with enough sickly shades of pink and blue yet? 

The fact of the matter is that I don't understand why people feel the need to spend thousands of dollars on plastic surgery when there's absolutely nothing wrong with them. Sure, it's worked for celebrities such as Dolly Parton and Cher, and at the very least they can have a laugh about it, and are at peace with it. I even think that some actress on a daytime drama had a facelift done on air, which took a lot of guts on her part. I don't think that I have as much of an issue with that, because it seemed like they had a great attitude about it. I also don't think they did it to impress anybody else...they did it for themselves. I have to respect that and give props to them for it. 

At the same time, I wish people felt the same attitude about aging gracefully. I personally think that aging is a beautiful thing. The wrinkles and the age spots...all those lines tell a story about a life well-lived, and they should be celebrated as exactly that. But, again, that's my opinion. 

I'm not entirely against plastic surgery though, and I can see reasons behind why some people may choose to get it (removing scars or burns, getting a tattoo removed, etc). 

What I DO take issue with are young girls who already look beautiful feeling that their natural beauty isn't enough for them and they want to go under the knife to look like a plastic, empty version of their former selves. 

I mean, look at Heidi Montag. I'm not going to lie and say that I actually liked or respected Heidi Montag...I honestly don't understand why she's so famous. But, seeing pictures of her a couple of years ago, she was quite photogenic. So, why did she decide to have almost a dozen surgical procedures done AT THE SAME TIME? Oh, yeah...Heidi Montag...she's 23! I don't know about any of you, but most 23 year olds I have known don't resort to surgery to make themselves look better. They may diet, exercise, buy a new shirt, try some other colour of lip gloss, but go under the knife?!? 

And, I'm sorry to say this about her, but as far as I'm concerned, the multiple surgeries that Heidi Montag went through were for naught. Sure, aesthetically, she looks good...but in a manufactured way. It's like the natural beauty she had was removed, and it's a real shame. 

On a related note, what the heck is everyone's obsession over stars with cellulite? With the way entertainment news stories treat cellulite like it's a form of leprosy, it almost makes it seem like a crime for a star to have it! Well, here's news for you. EVERYONE HAS IT! I'll bet you that supermodels have it. I bet Mary Hart has it. Hell, I bet I HAVE IT! 

Same deal for guys like me. If we don't have 6-pack abs, and look good in a Speedo, then we'd best kill ourselves. For one, I might not be able to grate cheese on my chest, but what normal man would want to? And, for another...Speedos should be banned in North America forever! 

I think that society in general puts too much pressure focusing on outer beauty that some people have completely forgotten how to get in touch with their inner beauty. And, that's the real shame. 

I do not fit the role of being a tall, rugged, masculine looking, manly man. Well, okay, I AM tall, but that hardly consitutes being a perfect specimen. The difference is that I've accepted my imperfections as something that makes me unique. I have a snaggletooth and an overbite. I wear glasses. I have a bit of a soft gut. These are things that make me who I am. I suppose I could get veneers, laser eye surgery, and do about eighty thousand crunches to make my abs as hard as a rock...but I don't feel the need to do that. As long as my insides work perfectly fine and I'm in good health, then that's all that matters. Besides, at the very least, I use Old Spice products, so I can be the man your man can smell like. I guess in a way, I really respect people who can look at themselves and tell themselves that they are great people both inside and out...people who are proud of their wrinkles and imperfections. People who don't give a damn what other people say except for those who truly matter to them. 

And, really, that's what I find beautiful. People who can look at themselves in the mirror and like what they see no matter what size or shape they are. True beauty comes from within. I'm hoping that in this world there are more people who can see that anybody at any size or any age can have a truly beautiful life if they look within themselves. 

Wouldn't that be beautiful?