House - gettin' there!!!!

I WANT MY LAWN BACK!

But, I really shouldn't complain - they've done a great job thus far, and are on track to be done this week!

 

( The House )

How Far is Too Far?

Standing in the checkout line of just about any grocery store, you really cannot help but notice the tabloid photos on the cover of the gossip-rags of America.  Alongside the photos of alien babies, Elvis sightings, and other celebrity surrealities, the photoshopped images of superstar plastic surgeries gone wrong tantalize the amused shopper.  Lips that are larger than life, face lifts that leave women unable to talk, far too much botox, and boob jobs that look like airbags provide the scheudenfreude to help the addicted buyer of these sensationalist tragedies to smile and feel just a bit better about himself.  Fake as they are, these pictures do help to illustrate one key point about our culture – Americans, as a society, seem obsessed with the pursuit of youth and beauty. 

 

Let’s face it, we see it or read about it all the time – how many girls suffer from anorexia or bulimia because they believe themselves to be fat, ugly, and unloved?  How many purely cosmetic boob jobs are performed each year?  How many botox injections?  Etc., etc.  All in the name of “natural” looking beauty.  How ironic.

 

Personally, I believe that adults should be able to make decisions for themselves.  Cher really said it best.  To paraphrase, “I only have to answer to myself and to God.  So if I want to put tits on my back, that is nobody’s damned business.”  Fair enough.  Want a boob job?  Fine.  As long as you have really thought about it, done your homework, considered any possible side-effects, and consulted with a doctor who is not a quack, then have at it.  The same goes for any extreme performed not out of medical necessity, but solely in the name of vanity.  Yet, I have to wonder, what defines an “extreme.”  Where is the line between growing old gracefully and going to extreme measures to hang on to fleeting youth?

 

I exercise.  I believe exercise is good for you.  Yet, let’s face it – there is such a thing as too much exercise.  Some people find themselves working out far more than they probably should so that they can have zero body fat and muscles – often managing to damage themselves in the process.  But… why?  Do they need muscles because they lift heavy things for a living?  Doubtful.  Does anyone NEED to have zero percent body fat?  Where is the line between good exercise and too far?

 

When it comes to physical appearance, the line could be drawn at avoiding anything fake or unnatural.  Sounds simple enough, right?  Not really.  While chatting one day with a friend, I found myself shaking my head at the thought of people doing things to themselves that are unnatural or fake.  The guy I spoke to said, “Really?  Do you ever color your hair?”  I stared at him in horror, realizing my own hypocrisy.  While not often, every now and then my stylist comments about the white patches around my temples, and I tell him to make them go away.  GASP!  Is this a bad thing?  Should I NOT be doing that?  What makes me WANT to color my white hair?  What is wrong with it?  The reality is, I am what I am and I am the age that I am.  I am 40 years old.  Why wouldn’t I have some gray or white hair?  Heck, my dad had VERY white hair early on.  Should I stop coloring my hair?  Why or why not?

 

Here’s another example.  I have a love affair with coffee.  (I know – not a particularly major revelation, right?)  Coffee has its side-effects – one of which being a gradual staining of the teeth.  No prob – to counteract that, I use white strips every six months or so.  GASP!  Is that wrong?  Is it fake?  Is it just enough, or too far?  Is having bright, shiny white teeth natural?  Sure, whenever I see Mario Lopez smile, I get a little weak in the knees.  But why?  Did that smile actually result from his genetics or from his wallet?  It boggles the mind.

 

I know I probably sound rather silly with these questions.  No, using white strips is nowhere near as extreme as undergoing massive plastic surgeries to effectively reconstruct and raconteur one’s body.  But is the reasoning behind it the same?  Is it a matter of health, or a matter of vanity? 

 

How Far is Too Far?