This week I went for laser hair removal at the Plattekloof Laser Centre. I must say, the first time I went to laser my underarm a few months ago, I was literally sweating because I was so scared that it would be painful. Thankfully and surprisingly it wasn’t sore at all! It just felt a little hot here and there and the whole process only took about a minute on each underarm. On a scale from one-to-ten, it was a three (based on the heat). I’d have laser any day, but I can’t say the same for threading or waxing!
It got me thinking about the lengths that us women go to look like what society views as desirable and attractive. I am sure that we have all heard somewhere along the line that media controls our perception of beauty. Everyday we are bombarded with images of celebrities with waif-like bodies, “clear skin”, big boobs and shiny hair. On an intellectual level we know that these images are edited to perfection but it is difficult to not aspire to what we view everyday on all sorts of social and media platforms.
Personally I feel that there is an inverse relationship between technology and self-esteem. The more access I have to social media, the more inadequate I feel about myself. Following all the Victoria Secret models, fitness and fashion accounts and then looking into the mirror and feeling like I don’t measure up. I guess that’s where the “loving myself for who I am” bit comes in. In today’s times it seems as though one has to have an extra clear sense of identity in order to not get swept up with society’s ideas of beauty.
