The Ugly Population
The Ugly Population
In this day and age of ever evolving standards catalyzed by technological and industrial modernization, we end up looking at our world and ourselves from advanced lenses. Using the resources available to us, we are constantly developing technologies to make the world more suited to our needs and wants while also making ourselves more suited to the ideals of TV screen “perfection”.
Sun kissed, porcelain clear skin, a flowy, smooth and thick mane of hair along with a body that screams of perfect proportions – does it not seem all too plastic? Why is it that we’re aiming for something we cannot achieve and yet still finding contentment in achieving it temporarily through cosmetic, artificial and unrealistic means?
Recently, after reading an article rating the beauty of people from various cultures and countries, I found myself feeling disappointed and shocked; completely let down by the imposed measure or criteria of beauty that supposedly must be met by people who in the truest sense are always going to be different from each other.
In one of my favorite poems, “Pied Beauty” by Gerard Manley Hopkins, the poet writes of the beauty that we can find in abundance in the very imperfections and abnormalities that we find in our natural world around us. I fail to understand why people from all cultures cannot be seen as equally beautiful given that in none of the cultures do people come off as the epitome of physical perfection.
Why is it that humans, being the most advanced organisms on our planet, are still not satisfied with themselves? The thirst for advancement and evolution is never quenched.
Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. No matter what part of the world it is that you belong to, you’re beautiful and you should never let anyone put you down or charge you for what God and Nature have given to you freely. You are not ugly, no Man is ugly. It is rather society’s thirst to be something other than it is, human, that makes it ugly of the most unfortunate nature.
Radhika Sharma is a junior at high school in New Delhi, India. She plans on doing a double major in Communications & Marketing at college. Radhika writes a blog, The Confetti Girl alongside working on her own magazine being launched this year, The Ink Insight; and writing for magazines such as Miss Heard, On the Line Report, I AM THAT GIRL and Girl Zone. She is also a member of the Her Campus High School Ambassadors Program and the Editor In-Chief for the school magazine, Aaina. In her spare time, Radhika enjoys dancing, reading books, watching movies and baking. She has also previously been a district level swimmer. She hopes to become a fashion journalist, exploring and supporting women, artistic self-expression and obviously, fashion alongside opening up that bakery in sunny Santorini, Greece – her dream destination.