Mirror Mirror on the Wall.....

I was just watching a Korean short film called the Human Form(2015) that deals with the ever so prevalent need to go under the knife to achieve a certain appearance that is not realistic and cannot be achieved in a healthy and organic way .The film pushes the concept of beauty norms to the limit, creating a dystopian world where everyone has the same surgically altered appearance. The need to look good has existed for as long as humanity itself and that probably explains why the beauty and fashion industry is so profitable .Combined with widespread reach and deep impact of social media on teens and young adults, the fashion industry has succeeded in defining the term ‘good-looking’ for the world at large. Unfortunately, this image of perfect good looks is a mirage for a majority of the population, including the main protagonist of this film, who is a young teen, who is out to achieve the impossible in whatever way that she can. If it means going under the knife, so be it!

I found the representation of everybody around the girl with plastic faces to be a metaphor for the fact that social media makes everyone believe others are perfect and so are their lives! The reason why it is unnerving is because of the relevance of the theme of surgical alteration of features,  not just in Korea but also in the rest of the world.The main protagonist visits a clinic with her sketch of a perfect face only to find that the surgery would be very expensive, one that her family is not willing to fund. Keen to get the surgery done before the annual school photograph, the girl chances upon an advertisement seeking volunteers for an experimental plastic surgery. The girl volunteers and goes under the knife, without thinking through the risks involved and as expected, the surgery goes horribly wrong compromising the girl’s ability to see and hear.

The beauty of the human race lies in its diversity. Our looks are a product of lots of factors like genetics, race and geographical location where we live. For a species so diverse, how can the existence of one standard of beauty be justified? The obvious ill effect of this one size fits all mentality is negative body image which is further propagated by images of abnormal perfection in social media. This explains why Instagram filters are so popular.  These filters, though, are far less harmful than drastic steps like going under the knife, which is sadly not so uncommon any more. In between these two ends lies a variety of options like botox and injecting of different chemicals to achieve the desired look, all of which play on negative self image . It is widely believed that you can never be too thin or too rich, and possibly too poor either to go under the knife to achieve the perceived ideal! How else can you garner those likes on Facebook and Instagram? Life is lonely for those who do not get validations for their looks on social media…so lonely that it could end in anxiety or depression!


It is time to wake up, smell the coffee and fall in love with yourself all over again, for beauty comes in all shapes, sizes and colors and you are as beautiful as you believe yourself to be!!




Image designed by Aditi Sowmyanarayan , picture credit:Alamy


Comments

  1. vijiNovember 6, 2022 at 9:40 PM

    As always, you have put your thoughts across beautifully. Keep writing Aditi.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aditi SowmyanarayanNovember 7, 2022 at 4:01 AM

      thank you Viji aunty for reading my blogs and motivating me to write more

      Delete
  2. VarshaNovember 7, 2022 at 9:25 AM

    Wow, so true!! I think we all struggle with this in some way and it's difficult to unlearn. You've put it down beautifully Aditi :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aditi SowmyanarayanNovember 7, 2022 at 9:40 PM

      Thank you Varsha madam . As someone who is 'well rounded' and autistic I feel the need to remind myself that I am perfect the way I am :):)

      Delete

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