Sunday, December 9, 2012

Beauty Motivation

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One good excuse I give myself for my obsessive online buying habit is self respect. I'm beginning to even think that it is a crime to not invest in your looks! Here's why.....

Admittedly, working in the beauty industry now, surrounded by men and women alike who really take good care of their looks, I probably have a higher need than the average woman to look my optimal as much as I can. Still, it is exactly because I am in this environment, I appreciate the motivation for looking good.

It is not always as superficial as I used to think. Among some people and in some cultures, such as the Japanese, looking good is out of self respect and respect for the occasion and people around them. Japanese women wear makeup not to hide flaws, but to show their respect for themselves, regardless of age, dedicating time and attention to look presentable. By respecting oneself, she respects others around them.

I hardly ever wore foundation before, or powdered my face. I thought effortlessly natural looking great skin was to be proud of. After working in this company and interviewing women from various cultures which take beauty seriously, I learned to appreciate the strive for skills and technique (vs sans effort) to look flawless and perfect (vs great).

Same with clothing. Dressing well isn't about brand names, but showing that you gave your look of the day some thoughts, not just pulling together random pieces of clean, wearable clothing. Sometimes I see little kids dressed in ill-matching colors and mix of random patterns (think ducky Tshirt with checkered pants and polka dot jacket and lace hair clip...), I can't help but frown and wonder why the parents are doing that to the kid. Just like you would teach your kid basic hygiene since they are young, why wouldn't you teach him/her basic dressing principles? For that, I thank my mom for dressing me and my brother really well since young.

How cool is it to have a job that inspires me to be more beautiful!