When Beauty becomes Ugly
I attended a women’s only networking event last night. I hesitated to go since these things are usually everyone trying to sell you their services or ideas. To my surprise this was a low key event that was raising money for a charity and it was an anti-networking vibe.
I met some wonderful ladies, great food, free chair massages and manicures (which I missed). While waiting for my massage, a group of women were having a lively discussion about beauty obsessed women. One of the ladies stated she would never do business with a woman that looked like she spent too much time on herself.
The conversation then led to the Kardashian women and their ridiculous obsession with looks. I was pleasantly surprised by the backlash from these millennium entrepreneurial women. Even though I have a lot of experience with fashion, image, and human behavior I kept my mouth shut to listen to this refreshing discussion.
The Kardashian women have made an empire of looking beautiful and selling style to a level that few women could or would care to emulate. It’s just hard to avert your eyes from people who live a life of such successful meaninglessness.
The beauty industry preys on the insecurities of women but also the deep rooted fact that pretty women get more perks. I’ve worked with many women over the years and a few have told me that if they look beautiful, they have more chances to meet and marry rich men. They will be taken care of and live happily ever after. They bought the Disney dream and the Kardashian Kool-Aid.
Many studies have proven that better looking people get hired more often as well as make more money, get less punishment or have better chances of advancement. But taking beauty to extremes has the perception of making a women look insecure, cheap or stupid.
Beauty has been revered since the beginning of time. Think Cleopatra or Helen of Troy whose beauty launched a thousand ships. They got power and perks being beautiful.
The sad part of the beauty and fashion industries is that they prey on women’s insecurities and define what beauty is. Where some women are concerned, their looks are the worth. Their beauty is a possible ticket to the good life and can bypass years of doing the work to develop skills that will sustain them way past their beauty wanes.
Beauty first and foremost is definitely in the eye of the beholder but more importantly how one feels about themselves.
Beauty is about owning who you are, having self-respect, and be healthy and balanced.
Beauty turns ugly when a woman only defines herself by it.
When our selfie-absorbed culture places more value on one’s image and beauty and not on integrity and character we will continue to make Kardashians richer and miss the other real beauties who are shaping our world for the better.
Fashion changes, beauty fades… class and intelligence never grow old.