Monday, November 22, 2010

AIRBRUSHING OURSELVES TO PERFECTION

FOR A SOCIETY SO MADLY IN LOVE WITH REALITY TV, WE SURE DON’T SEEM TO BE VERY FOND OF REALITY.

AND, JUST WHEN IT SEEMS THAT ALL THE SELF-DENIAL METAPHORS OF US KIDDING OURSELVES HAVE BEEN EXPOSED, ANOTHER ONE MAKES THE FRONT PAGE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES.

NOW, WE’RE KIDDING OURSELVES ABOUT KIDS.

SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHY COMPANIES REPORT THAT A GROWING PERCENTAGE OF PARENTS ARE REQUESTING AND PAYING TO HAVE THEIR CHILD’S SCHOOL PICTURE AIRBRUSHED.
WITH ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY, SCRATCHES AND SCARS ARE BLOTTED AWAY.
MOLES, BIRTH MARKS, AND ACNE...GONE.
HAIR LENGTH? CHANGED.
BRACES DISAPPEAR AND TEETH ARE WHITENED.

EVERYONE IS PERFECTLY BEAUTIFUL NOW!

13 comments:

The Political Impaler said...

It's cheaper than a $10,000 Rhinoplasty.

quicksand said...

YES....ABOUT $9,980 CHEAPER.
HOWEVER, RHINOPLASTY CHANGES REALITY.
AIRBRUSHING CHANGES A PHOTO OF REALITY....MUCH LIKE PLATO'S ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE.

The Ancient Rocker said...

Forget the airbrushing! I just wish that parents would pay attention to the toothbrushing and hair brushing!

horsebreath said...

The parents encounter the divine light of the sun everyday- they perceive true reality. They want others to see only the shadows.

quicksand said...

Dear rocker

You have something there.
Real care and loving would be more valuable than esteem building, vicarious living, and swamping kids with everything they want.
A real parent advocate might advocate less, and let a kid taste the unfiltered, unairbrushed world.

quicksand said...

Dear horse

And I thought parents believe their children didn't cast shadows.

Where are the average people when you need them?

rthgrl said...

omg, what message does this send to the little tykes? We love you, you're perfect just the way you are, butttt...not, really.

Shouldn't there be bigger things to be thinking about rather than the superficial "glamour shots" approach to recording time in your child's life?

Rocker says it plain and simple. Let's just stick to the basics, people!

quicksand said...

PARENTS SHOULD TAKE A COURSE DEALING WITH REALITY.
LOVING CHILDREN IS HEALTHY AND SWEET.
ASPIRATIONS ARE NICE.

BUT, DELUSIONS....

ben's friend said...

Is it any wonder that a culture which worships Hollywood and sees Disneyworld as a child's birthright would eventually photoshop their children?

quicksand said...

What's next for kids?
Lipo....botox...implants?

The question is, just why do parents want their children to look better in photos than they actually do in real life?

ben's friend said...

Quicksand:

I think it is their own insecurities projected on to their children. Having children can be an act of altruism or narcissism and the line between the two is not so clear.

By the way, don't think that implants for children is an absurd idea. Check out the statistics on young women getting cosmetic breast surgery as a "coming of age" gift. It is the perfect compliment to a new car for sweet sixteen.

quicksand said...

Even names have gone designer....what ever happened to Freddy or Mary?

Whats next...
Derm-abrasion?

In conclusion...It's just another symptom of our society 'airbrushing' reality away.
We did it with our deficit and national debt...
We did it with our mortages...
We did it with mission accomplished...
We do it with our national obesity problem...
Reality is lurking around the corner.

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