smooth operator

I was just flipping through the new issue of POP when I came across a lovely interview with Sade. I have such a soft spot for her. Her music always reminds me of cruising around as a kid with my dad--also a big Sade fan. 

ANYWAY, one of the questions she's asked is, "What do you think has changed for women in terms of cultural visibility?"

"I think me and my peers grew up during a unique time of emancipation which followed oppression. It was a golden age, we were encouraged to be intelligent and individual. Now young girls are under great pressure to be physically perfect. We are bombarded with images of flawless women. Now beauty is everything and women hanker for an unattainable perfection since that are so often judged primarily by looks before their real qualities."

RIGHT ON. I love fashion and models and the whole deal, but it is truly an impossible standard for women to live up to. I know, I know, no one actually expects anyone to look like that in real life. Especially when the physical ideal is represented by a coltish, 16-year-old sex bomb. But on some level, I think we internalize it. And as a result, the longing to be as young, angular and glowing as possible can overshadow the value of cultivating real character. It's completely warped.

Perhaps worst of all, so much of what we see is inauthentic anyway. If we were going to displace the importance of intelligence and character with extraordinary beauty, perhaps it should be real. And god knows, in most cases, it's not. These gorgeous women who we aspire to be are so often augmented in every way possible, and on top of that, the photos are airbrushed within an inch of reality. So what exactly are we comparing ourselves to? Basically caricatures of human beings. 

I'm not speaking as if i'm above it. I'm very much misguided in my thought processes at times. Take Marissa Mayer, for example. She's the VP of Search Products and User Experience at Google. Lady is only in her mid-thirties. She is WILDLY successful. But I don't find her very interesting to look at. In other words, I don't envy her.  

I wish I could go back to the era when Sade grew up. Or better yet, that I could harness logic in those moments of pure insanity when I believe it's more important that I remain a size 2 than finally finishing my book.