Make me over

I love me a makeover show. I am talking about fashion; though I am not passing up on design and interior transformations. I like to see the ones which have attention for the actual person and also look at how that person got to be that way in the first place, qhich solidifies the makeover. Plus give real good practical tools to apply in real life. Trinny and Susannah, Stacey London and Clinton Kelly, Tim Gunn, Gok Wan; to name a few stylists. But something is starting to irritate me.

"I guess I have been focusing on taking care of everyone else, everyone around me, making them my priority, that I've never given myself or how I dress any thought. As long as it's comfortable. There is no time in the day for me." I am getting a full on allergic reaction from these kinds of explanations from mainly women on why they never put any effort in themselves. And 'them' is usually the kids and the husband. Really, do we still want to portray this kind of role model? I think it is important in a world were women are still fighting for their rights that we women send out the message that we matter, that we are important, respect ourselves, that we show that we care about ourselves. Because if we don't how are others going to take us seriously in any field?

I think that there are many ways to dress ourselves. And no, I am not advocating that we all should look like supermodels, that we run to the nearest plastic surgeon, do anything to stay young (quite frankly: should that even be our goal as society?), or that we start slapping on tons of make-up. Every woman has an unique beauty which can be expressed in a rainbow of different ways. There is no such thing as standard beauty. To take care of that beauty, show it, is a service to mankind. Not to mention our kids. Cause, what are they to think of their future? That life is over after a certain age or marriage? Or that women are disposable and men don't have to treat them with respect?

What I really find troubling is that we still seem to think it admirable that a woman puts herself last in order to take care of her loved ones. "And now it's time for you, becasue you've always put everyone else first. Now you get to treat yourself, focus on you for a change." As if it's obligatory to first shrivel into nothing before you deserve the grand prize of taking care of yourself. Like you have to earn it, put in the miles first. Why not start of on the right foot and get it right in the first place?

Celebrate! Stop being worried about what everyone else thinks. Respect ourselves and have others respect us in return. And please, it is not vain to present yourself in the best way possible. It is your duty!