Something Has Gone Terribly Awry

Okay, so I spend too much time watching television. I'll admit that.

There was a commercial for cellulite cream on today. And as I watched, I realized that the models in this commercial were teenagers with really skinny legs. I suppose the message is meant to be that, if you use this cellulite cream that you will have skinny, young legs. A bit outrageous, don't you think? But then I realized that another perspective was that when the teenagers and twenty-somethings see this commercial they'll think that, since their legs aren't long and skinny, they must have something wrong with them and they need this cream. What are we teaching our daughters?

I'll admit that I gaze longingly at the youthful skin in short shorts and mini skirts that I see downtown. And wish I appreciated my young skin when I had it. It's not bad now...Just not as resilient as it used to be---the pillow marks on my face take longer to fade in the mornings than they used to. It makes me understand that I didn't have a clear perspective about myself when I was young. So much of our society focuses on beauty and commercials send messages that we are not perfect and, therefore, ugly or worthless. I wish we could, somehow, move away from that perspective and really allow ourselves to see who we and each other really are and know that we are always perfect.