A Question of Beauty

I don't think I am the only person who has said, "I hate my hair, and I wish my abs were flatter." Some of us may be described as, "big boned," or as, "having a slow metabolism," and these statements may be true. These sayings encourage us to go to the gym and count calories or carbs or whatever else the newest fad diet tells us to count. We go to great lengths to achieve personal standards of beauty. In America it is common to have our tummies tucked and our breasts enlarged. In more traditional cultures a long neck or shoulder-grazing earlobes are a symbol of beauty. There was a time, not so long ago, when white skin was in and a pleasant amount of plump was all the rage. Now we prefer a perfectly bronzed glow on a frail frame even though we know attaining these things are difficult if not impossible to achieve safely. To what extent are we willing to go to acquire our perceptions of beauty? Is it acceptable to bind our feet to fit in fashion forward shoes, or should we modify fashion to fit our bodies? When it comes to how we look. . . are we our own worst critics?