Face in the Mirror

I once watched a television program which featured former Super Models. These icons of the fashion industry graced the covers of countless magazines. Their images, made famous by advertising campaigns, were used to launch a myriad of consumer products. Whether they are admired or envied, these select few have garnered attention, fame and success simply by being born beautiful. They are deemed as superiors by the multitudes of plain and ordinary others.

Most would consider the gift of beauty as an absolute blessing but listening to the interviews of these gorgeous women made me realize that it may also prove to be a liability. So endowed with obvious advantages above the rest, the beautiful tend to develop a kind of dependence on their outward appearances. This inevitably leads to pain as the years will eventually and unavoidably take their toll.

One after the other, each celebrity on that particular show candidly described their individual struggles with aging. Accustomed to turning-heads, they find it quite difficult to accept that they no longer can fetch the same kind of attention to themselves. The spotlight has now shifted towards the younger and the prettier. It may seem to some, a cruel joke, to be surrounded by a light so blindingly bright only for it to be blown out and transformed into a dim grayness. The higher one has risen, the harder is the fall back down. Experiencing the fading of such glory, it is natural to feel a sense of mild depression.

Fortunate then are the awkward, tongue-tied, plain and unattractive. They, who are not by birthright “special”, learn to adapt, to adjust, and try harder. By necessity, they have to find out who they truly are, discover optional qualities and develop strengths other than their looks. Compensating for the lack of one trait, they shine in other aspects be it in skills, talents, and academics. In so doing, they are made richer for their efforts and rise above the level from which they first started.

Soon I will be marking an additional decade of my life I am forced to face the mirror and closely gaze at it.  Will the image reflected back at me be frowning due to the evident lines of aging, or will it be smiling, contented and happy for a life well lived?