Vanity Rant - I Do It For Me

This morning I finished reading "Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas", and started a new book called "The Beauty Myth". It's a feminist view of female beauty, as it is judged.

I've only just started it, so I haven't reached the crux of the ideas yet, but it has got me thinking about women, vanity and insecurity. I've always been extremely insecure, sometimes for good reason and sometimes because my brain is crazy. A lot of it has to do with surroundings and thinking far too comparatively (i.e. - "My body doesn't look like hers." or "I wish I had her face." Horrible). I've allowed men and women to make me think less of myself, and am still trying to work past that.

That said, insecure or not, I don't think it's a bad thing to want to look your best. Not that this book is telling women to completely abhor all things 'beauty'; but I've seen, heard and read things in the past that did.

For myself, I like makeup. I like heels sometimes. I pluck my eyebrows, shave my legs, and dye my hair. These make me feel good. In some ways, they make me feel more like a woman. It's not the same for everyone, but those things are for me. Mine.

On the flip side of that, I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to look my best for whomever I'm with as well. The majority of women don't exactly get excited when they see their significant other staring at another girl on the street, talking about how "hot" or "gorgeous" other women are, or flirting shamelessly with someone who isn't you. I know I don't. Depending on the severity of it, I can get downright fired up. We're competitive by nature. So will I wear an outfit that Craig likes, or do my hair his favourite way? Sure, sometimes. It's not a sin to keep interest.

I'm not a fan of how media portrays women. I'm not a fan of the idea of the "perfect female body", or using it to hock products. To put it bluntly, I think we're all fucking amazing no matter the shapes or features. But I don't think wearing things that make me feel good is a negative thing, or should be viewed as such.

After all, isn't that the point of everything? To feel good?

I think so.