She walks in beauty like the night, beauty is in the
eye of the beautician (as an old friend used to quote), and what has brought me
to this rather mundane subject?
There is a deep insecurity in how we view ourselves
or advertising would never have taken such a strong hold on our psyches. Perhaps when we are most beautiful we are
most unaware of its power or like in our adolescence, when we are at our most
insecure. How much time have we spent in
our lives grooming and putting on make-up, dieting, obsessing over every
detail? How much money have we spent on
the products that promise miracles? And
all of it for nought!
I recently experienced a barrage of compliments over
my hair and appearance. What’s odd about
that you may ask? Well, I have never
been so unhealthy in my life. I have
stage 3 breast cancer and wear a wig.
The wig has been complimented more than my natural hair in any of its
incarnations has ever been despite the fact it never turned grey and was a
source of pride for me.
The conclusion I reach is artifice is
beautiful. We know that from all of the
touched up photoshop images that are part of
our daily lives. We’ve lost the concept of what a healthy beautiful person
might look like regardless of age. I
stopped to analyze my wig- if I had to keep my hair in that condition, it would
require color touch ups and monthly cuts. To the touch it feels dry as a bone. That instead of a head of healthy hair is what
triggers a positive response. Could it
be true- in this society you can be most attractive when you are wearing a wig
and at your worst.
