It's hard to soar like an eagle when you're surrounded by Turkeys
Have you ever heard the saying
"It's hard to soar like an eagle when you're surrounded by Turkeys"?
It keeps coming to mind today as I think about our perception of beauty and how we slowly become an incantation of our own surroundings.
I'm currently travelling through Turkey on my way to a skin conference (it's a tough life but someone has to do it!) and four days in, I have come to notice that beauty here is rarely to do with appearance.
Clothing seems to be just a necessity, shoes are very practical and "thin", as a beauty construct is far less important than bread and a hearty meal (a concept I have embraced wholeheartedly😁)
It's no secret I can sniff out a facial from a mile away.
It's an in-built, instinctive radar BUT, I'm yet to find one in the two major cities I've been in. I've not laid eyes on a beauty salon or skin clinic and the closest I have seen is a barbershop where I could probably get a 'cut throat' shave and call it a derma planning facial... but we all know my thoughts on that ;)
In my travels I've become very aware that the beauty standards that I have become so familiar with, are the result of the world in which I live - where changing your face is as common (and as frequent) as changing ones shoes.
Body shape, face shape and "skin goals" are influenced by one small (but seemingly omnipresent) genre of people, yet this seems to be the benchmark we all need to be striving for:"to fit within the standards of the opinions of trend settlers and influencers."
How have we reached a point where our worth is dictated by our visual appearance, which in itself is dictated by a few - often with an agenda to sell us something at their profit, to help us fit into said tiny box of "acceptable"?
The reality is, Beauty is so much more than the small, restrictive box of what is fashionable at this point in time, according to some.
As I sit here outside my hotel and watch the world go by, it is occurring to me that our own little bubble of "fashion, beauty and worthiness" perception might just need a little bit of a shake up. It's challenging me to look at the external influences that have lead me, at times, to be dismayed by my unruly hair, question my outfit choices before walking into a room, influenced the shoes I purchase, and impact my own view of my own body.
This "Robyn's rant" is more a "Robyn's rambling musings", but, I wanted remind you that if ever you've questioned your own beauty, felt dismayed by your hair, uncomfortable in your own wardrobe... like you were not living up to the beauty standard around you, first take a look at your surroundings and the voices of influence that are speaking into your life.
Who is telling you what to wear, how to look and how to feel?
Who's in your "bubble", and, who died and made them the fashion police?
If you are doubting the fullness of your lips, the lines on your face, the freckles on your skin, the mono to your brow, the stretch marks on your thighs, the hairs on your big toe... they were there long before someone else's opinion of if they are hot or not!
As I look around, I wish you could see the mismatched outfits, the hairy chins, the crinkled faces, the nothing-but-practical hairstyles and the crooked teeth that are passing me by as I sit here and type.
You'd realise that giving any weight or value to the beauty opinions of those trying to sell them to us, that comparing yourself and trying to fit in to a tiny bubble of perfection- is like only eating only the breadsticks at the buffet... you're missing out on the richness and fullness of a life lived with ALL flavours in your life!!
Smash the expectations, burst the bubble and free yourself form the expectations of others.
Embrace all of the wonderful things that make you you and remember that if you find yourself feeling like you're not living up to the expectation, first check in to see who expectations they really are!!
