Biochemistry - Week 4

In class, we had a couple of articles regarding skin care this week and it's made me a little sad. I mean, I'm sure rejuvenating tired skin is a thrilling feeling, but it amazes me how much we focus on the aesthetics to look healthy in our society and how little we seem to focus on actual health. I mean, advertisers and magazine just keep turning our heads with beauty headlines, the main two being skin and weight. What I'm thinking is that constantly fixing the appearance, only makes it easier to forget that the appearance is really a symptom of what's happening on the inside. It's like patching up cracks and holes and painting a house that was built on a faulty foundation that made the cracks and holes in the first place. 

I like the last sentence in the first article "How to Cure Tired Mom Skin" that was brought up in class that stated, "going to bed an hour earlier usually solves everything". While I get the argument that changing habits is difficult when you have a busy life, running yourself into the ground won't help you in the long run. Bad skin is a sign we probably shouldn't just gloss over. It's our body telling us to find ways to take better care of it. I feel like we put so much emphasis on not showing our flaws and/or offending other people with how we look, we forget that first and foremost, our health and well-being matters so much more. I personally feel like I may not be a beauty queen, but I don't feel a need to hide my imperfect skin or any other imperfections because I don't want to lose that reminder to learn how to take better care of myself when I look in the mirror. Besides, I prefer to know right off the bat if I'm dealing with someone who cares too much about how I look so I don't have to waste my time with them. Also, given the choice between 15 minutes of more sleep or 15 minutes of makeup or skincare, I always pick sleep. 

And while I'm on the subject of looks, I also want to say, we as a society focus so much on weight loss that I notice many lose sight of actually eating and living healthier. It's not about how you look! Some people just have thicker builds, so what? It doesn't make you any less attractive than a thin person. I think it's unhealthy to constantly worry about gaining and losing weight. I feel like many would benefit more if they focused on taking in real nourishment and taking care of themselves. It's way less stressful than thinking you have to be more attractive all the time and never feeling like you're good enough. Besides, the media is wrong (though I think it's starting to turn around). Skinny is NOT the only attractive shape out there. I think the mentality should start veering away from "if you look good, you'll feel good" and more toward "if you take better care of your being, you'll feel good".