I THINK PERFECT IS A STUPID WORD|
WRITING BY GEORGIE GAFF |
Georgina Alice Gaff, as I like to call her- is a force to be reckoned with. She’s a newly 20 year-old young Australian woman. A smile from ear to ear and a heart that’s bigger than many. She was born and raised in outback Australia (I won’t name where, because there’s truly a long list of stations she’s lived on- but really, how cool is that?). She became a ‘city’ girl when she moved to Sydney as a border from years 7 to 12, and she’s now pursuing her education as an aspiring primary school teacher. Please welcome Georgie as a #WOMANBEHINDTHEMOVEMENT
The very first definition of beauty by google is “a combination of qualities, such as shape, colour, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight”. It’s not until you scroll through to the third or fourth definition that you find a small sentence touching on beauty as being an INTERNAL QUALITY. No wonder people strive for 'perfect' in looks instead of IN themselves. We are surrounded by false advertising of the true meaning of beauty. I think perfect is a stupid word and I believe everyone needs to accept that they are imperfect in some way. What is perfect? Google suggests perfect is being complete, absolute and having all required or desired qualities. But let's be honest, nobody is complete or possesses all desired qualities, not in their looks or in their ambitions, there is always something missing. I think this something is our desire to be just like the person on the front of the magazine; successful, good looking, ambitious, empowering. Therefore, we overlook what we have within ourselves. So, to find beauty in imperfection we need start by looking WITHIN ourselves.
When I was at boarding school, most of the parties were in the middle of winter on a 2 degrees, rainy evening. We would all wear dresses or skirts and run to the bus screaming “BEAUTY IS PAIN!” But by 'pain' we meant, being cold for half an hour until we were on the dance floor and could warm up. I have since come to realise that those three words are much more powerful. I believe it remains true, beauty is pain, but the pain is caused by suppression, the burn of remaining silent, a hunger for power or to empower, a need to do or be better or the length of the journey to some form of success. It is our individuality that makes us beautiful and I believe there is no such thing as perfect. How can women (or men) strive for the same idea of perfection when we are all so different? Beauty is INNATE. It is not just about looking pretty or staying fit. I believe beauty is as simple as being a good role model, helping an elderly person with the groceries, donating to the poor, empowering yourself and others or holding the door open for the person behind you.
The mastermind behind the Miss Venezuela Beauty Factories admits that "there is no such thing as perfect". However, he encourages (I use italics to emphasise that this so-called encouragement comes from a do or die perspective and is not the type of encouragement you would receive from the side of the soccer field) women to strive for his idea of perfection. Women in this competition are naturally gorgeous, but their desire to leave poverty overrides their power as women and they fall victim to the mental and physical pain inflicted upon them in the competition. Situations like this are not uncommon in developing nations and we need to do something right now to change them. I live in a world where I am lucky enough to be able to express myself, WHEREVER AND HOWEVER I WISH. Women in developing nations do not have this luxury. We need to push our busy routines to one side for a moment and take the opportunity to utilise our power and fight for women who cannot fight for themselves. People need to commit to educating themselves on these issues so women and men can strive to overcome stereotypes associated with beauty and perfection in both developed and developing nations. This will allow us to strive for a more balanced and realistic perception of what it means to be beautiful.
Margaret Atwood said "in the end we'll all become stories", so let's make ours a good one!
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