The Standard

Hi Guys,

Sorry I could not post this on Sunday. I have been spending some quality time at the Grandparents and have been out of internet range for 3 days, no internet= no blog posts= Sorry.  So my host sister and I occasionally play a game of Sims, she really enjoys it and I think it’s fun to watch because she builds these amazing houses, but every time she makes a family I get a bit annoyed. She makes a tan/ darker woman who is skinny, slightly fit and has huge breasts. She always gives them blond hair and the make-up of a Barbie doll. Along with that she makes a boyfriend (always a boyfriend) with a little bit of a lighter skin tone and blond hair with an unimaginably perfect body. This has not been once but multiple times, and normally I would not mind but yesterday she asked me to make a family. I started to make a whole big group but I was tired and I narrowed it down to one man. He had blond hair, was of average build, and was not athletic but not unhealthy looking either. So as I continued to play the game I found a pre-built female and we moved in together. Well my host sister said that I should make her look prettier. Her hair was kind of outdated as well as her style so I decided to give her a makeover.  I could not find any hair style that worked except for a buzz cut. She had no hair but she had big earrings and a wonderful make up job to match. I thought she looked very feminine but the minute I finished my host sister said “I thought you were trying to make her prettier?”  So I let her have the computer and re-do my makeover. The woman is very dark and she gave her blond hair, blue eyes and Barbie makeup. So I guess this is my problem. Thanks to the media and our insecurities we are all brought up thinking that beautiful has a face, or a color, or a style of hair, or a body type so you better have good genes or a lot of money so you can make yourself beautiful, but this idea is not helpful for anyone. My host sister is 13 and I see her almost every day putting on self-tanner lotion, make up and trying to reach this standard, but she will always  fall short because the world has told her to not accept herself. So I guess my question is what is beauty and how does it differ from country to country? Food for Thought.