How to deal with appearance -obsessed society

We all want to look our best and maintain a youthful and fresh appearance. It makes us feel more attractive and self-confident. That can sometimes be hard, considering our stressful jobs, lack of sleep and the overall fast paced tempo of our day-to-day lives. Still, the society puts so much pressure on women with its unrealistic expectations. We are bombarded with photoshopped images of young beauties promoting same rather false values. With the rise of social media, we became forced to turn our lives into a colorful commercial collage. Instead of just being in the moment and enjoying it, we arrange elaborated  scenery settings and take selfies. But why? Is it just something that you do to fit in? Do you have to keep up with the fabulous image you built up on social networks? Maybe to make your friends jelly, or for the espresso ego boost from all the likes and comments?

I really don’t know how it happened, but somewhere along the way we started to care more about the artificial external image rather than nurturing some core values in relationships.Not to mention that the art of conversation has gone astray, especially with younger generations. So what do we do? We buy expensive clothes and beauty products. We can’t be seen without it, of course! We stare into iphone screens instead of noticing the beauty of our surroundings. This sort of appearance engineering made us lose touch to our divine selves and to our fellow human beings. We just walk around the earth like beautiful alienated shells and we are lonelier than ever.

If you grew up in the 90’s, you still might have had a chance of a genuine childhood  experience. I certainly did. I spent my days in parks, playgrounds, lying on the grass, discussing fun cloud shapes with my friends, looking for four-leaf clovers, playing dodgeball and hide and seek… Just reminiscing about it puts a warm smile on my face. Somehow I feel that todays children are robbed of that magnificent experience. But, times they are a changin’! Sometimes, I have troubles dealing with it.

But what to do? I often take a lesson from the rebel non-conformist 16-year-old version of myself. So I put my cool sunglasses on, take a deep breath, smile and keep marching to my own beat! Now, stop worrying about all the bad things in the world. Your shoulders can’t hold that much weight. Instead, focus on your inner peace, thinking positive and bringing joy to lives of the people you meet everyday. The less you response to negativity, the more peaceful you become. Don’t worry so much about what others are doing or thinking. The truth is, you weren’t put in this world to follow or fit in. You are here to learn and discover.

I spend my free time reading interesting books, listening to great music, helping out my family or just being a supportive listener for my friends in their times of trouble. I don’t have a messenger app or Instagram, nor do I fiddle with my phone while talking to another human being. I only use facebook to keep in touch with friends who live in another city. I don’t know how to use a liquid eyeliner. Instead, I know how to make my own diy cosmetics. I don’t follow new trends. I wear what I like and what makes me feel good, even if it means walking my dog in sweatpants and a motley crue t-shirt. Sometimes, while talking to my peers, I do feel a bit alienated and out-of-place.

It really doesn’t bother me that much. I know that my world is slightly different from theirs, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. I freely enjoy every passing moment of my life. I manage to maintain strong and long-lasting friendships with people. I like the way I look, even without expensive make-up. It’s been a long journey, but I’m happy. And that’s all that matters.

So go and do what you like. Be happy. It’s a lot easier than one might think. Just do it one day at a time. As long as you have a positive attitude and a joyful heart, it’s gonna be ok.