I've tried to understand my desire to have whiter teeth. It probably began with all the ads for teeth whiteners. Of course, celebrities have famously white teeth. Somewhere, I began to feel bad about my teeth's lack of brilliance and shine. I'm not clear if there is any health benefit to having whiter teeth. It's my understanding that it's a cosmetic decision. All the same, I'm tempted to do something to achieve a whiter shade of pale in my mouth. But what would this achieve? Would I be happier? Better looking? Or would I merely feel closer to fitting in? I doubt that's actually possible. There's constantly a new standard being set that keeps us making further changes to our appearances in the name of conformity. Soon I'll be panicking about my wrinkles.
I used to consciously work against SSoB. I was in college for some of that time, which makes it easier. Even after I graduated, though, I still attempted to redefine notions of beauty. Now I live in NYC and I'm helpless (or at least feel helpless) to counter the pressure to look a certain way. Intellectually, I can recognize an effective ad campaign when I see one. I can't deny that a part of me wants to hand over my money. For now I'll stay away from women's magazines and stick to
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4 comments:
Avoid coffee?!??
A fate worse than death.
Screw the ads, Rebecca. You've always been beautiful, you're beautiful now, and you will always be beautiful.
If you want to do something to take care of yourself, go for it. Peer pressure is insidious and the marketing industry knows it; if they tell you enough times that you "must have" something, you start to believe it.
Back in the day, some women knew how to age gracefully - and it was said they had "style". {sigh}
Clearly I don’t know much about SSob but I do know a bit about marching to your own drummer. Pressure is a fact of life for everyone. Some are more affected by it than others. Some people resist it and some are happy to go with the flow. In the end, your call.
The question I think comes down to decisions about what to give into and what to resist. Every decision has consequences. I may choose to cross the street against the light. A valid decision if I understand that it could result in injury or arrest. In the 60s I choose to have long hair (believe it or not) and wear bell bottoms. I got the fact that some people would have a negative reaction to that but I was happy & wasn’t hurting anyone. I stayed that way until I decided to change.
Go look in the mirror. If you like what you see, you are free to stay that way. If you don’t then change it. What you have to understand is that all decisions have potential consequences. For example SSoB may be viewed positively in the work place. I guess it could potentially affect your career. If that were true, you still can choose to resist SSob or accept it to an extent you are OK with. No wrong answers just an honest look at what is important to you.
For what it’s worth.
Very thoughtful response Bobby. Thanks for sharing.
I go back and forth on the teeth whitening too...it's my understanding though that most of the over the counter cheaper stuff doesn't work that well and that the whiteners from dentists' offices are the most effective...but at a recent family gathering the subject came up- turns out my mom, dad, sister, cousins and aunt have all whitened their teeth and think everyone should, that it's great, etc...but they also all now have tooth sensitivity. They all claimed it was unrelated (because it wasn't listed as a side effect or something lame) but coincidence? I think not!
Anyway, if you want to whiten your teeth I think it's the same kind of decision as makeup, shaving, clothes choices, etc...I'd just make sure there aren't any effects like whatever kit my family all apparently used. I also think making a decision like that knowing you're going to suffer pain to a certain extent for beauty is a bit different...but again, a personal choice.
Sorry for the rambles- interesting post though! :)
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