Perfection

She stands at 5'5". She has a 26-inch waist. She's a brunette. Her eyes are blue, which compliment her fair skin and soft facial structure. She often makes you laugh, as she has a great sense of humor. She sounds pretty hot, right? According to some super scientific surveys I found on the internet (following) the ideal eye color, hair color, skin color, personality trait, and body type, the woman I just described is our society's perfect Franken-Chica (society's perfect man is over 6'0" with all the same ideal characteristics as a perfect woman, for those of you I left wondering).

Now, I may be brunette, fair-skinned and blue-eyed, but I don't have the perfect body. In fact, if society as a whole could throw me into their fire of standards, that's where I would burn. The first time I ever formed an idea of "perfection" was when I first got an Instagram at age 13. Looking at all the photos of genetically blessed celebrities, it wasn't hard to compare myself to them. Sure, I had a supportive family, a couple of great friends andasense of humor, but I quickly realized that maybe it wasn't enough to be perfect. Through a tough, ongoing journey in self-acceptance, it's safe to say that it takes a mere two seconds to fall into societies perfection-crazed trap, and more than three years to get out of it.

Every 62 minutes (in the U.S.) someone dies as a result of an eating disorder. Approximately 30 million people in the U.S. (of all races, genders, and ages) suffer from an eating disorder ranging from anorexia nervosa to binge eating disorder.

A close friend of mine has suffered with their body in the past, being hospitalized multiple times due to their dangerous malnutrition. What started out as strict dieting and loads of exercise quickly turned into a fear of food, an over-worked body, and a severe case of anorexia nervosa. He said he didn't feel attractive due to not having the ideal body type; every time he looked in the mirror he saw something he wasn't.

"I wanted to be perfect. Nobody wants you if you aren't attractive." Having heard those words, I was crushed, and I couldn't help but think that if he was told he was good enough, he would be happy and healthy. What if society never had an idea of perfection in the first place?

Society's influence on people's lives is greater than one would think. I mean, why should we get so caught up in something that isn't even obtainable? Isn't that just ridiculous? Well, in yet another super-scientific survey, I made an Instagram poll asking if people ever felt as if they were unattractive because they weren't perfect according to society. Though this question was very personal, people still answered honestly, and the results are honestly upsetting. 92 percent of those (both male and female) who answered the poll said that they've felt unattractive due to the unrealistic standards of society.

My skin is very pale, something that is pointed out to me often. I may be able to get away with using Wite-Out as a foundation. Standing out on the white background is the large, dark birthmark on my left arm, which is pointed out even more frequently than the fact that I'm pale. I've hated it since I first realized that not everyone has a birthmark so prominent. I wore sweatshirts and long sleeves every single day (even in the summer) because of how much I hated it. I remember begging my doctor to remove it in an utterly desperate attempt to be "normal," and thank God she didn't. Having something unique to me makes me feel distinguishable, but knowing this isn't the case for everyone, I continued on scanning the "inter-webs" (as the kids call it).

I found that there were over 17.5 million cosmetic procedures done in 2017, which is a 2 percent increase over 2016. People are constantly removing and changing their own unique features to match up with what's considered "beautiful." Will this eventually welcome the demise of diversity?

It's not uncommon to see pictures of celebrities before and after plastic surgeries--- I mean, the Kardashians are practically artificial icons. While every single one of us is graced with natural beauty, others (understandably) may feel more comfortable in their own skin with some of their features altered, and there's nothing wrong with that!

Society isn't ever going to go away (unless a real 2012 apocalypse situation were to arise any time soon), and there's always going to be some kind of grand ideation or goal. While perfection is only a perception; an unobtainable goal created by society, it still (unfortunately) counts as a goal. For those of you looking for some real goals, our society needs a little more love and acceptance in the diversity department. That being said, you shouldn't change for anyone or anything, especially not for some bullsh*t standards— if you want to change, do it for you.