America the Not-So-Beautiful

The film I watched was a documentary entitled “America the Beautiful,” which was concerned with the self-image obsession in the United States and the damage that follows because of it.  It follows the storyline of the rise and fall of a young model, Gerren Taylor, and sheds light upon many secrets of the fashion and beauty industry.  For instance, one disturbing fact that I learned was that many chemicals in perfumes and cosmetics are banned in Europe but not in America.  I was also appalled to learn that people who die from eating disorders die from “unknown causes,” according to their death certificates.  If that is not messed up, what is?

A review from Common Sense Media [http://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/america-beautiful] accurately sums up the documentary.  This film, like the review mentions, is definitely biased and, aside from a few shocking facts, does not present us with any new revelations.  “America the Beautiful” did, however, do a very satisfactory job at pointing out how far America has gone in the dream for beauty.  (The ideal beauty is, of course, unattainable for most women who are not six feet tall with a size two waist and a D-cup bra.) 

This documentary made me think about why I wear certain clothes and why I choose to wear make-up.  I know that many of the images of “beautiful women” that are presented to me via various media outlets are often digitally manipulated, but I know that I, like many other girls, have fallen into the trap of believing what society says about physical appearance.  Although I have this head knowledge, I think it will take drastic changes in our society today before men and women have a new idea of what beauty really is.