BEAUTY - ONLY SKIN DEEP!

I had a shock when I came across an article called, 'Twenty Most Shocking Photos of Celebrities Without Makeup!' (http://superbooyah.com/index.php/Home/Galleries/Celebrity/The-20-Most-Shocking-Photos-Of-Celebrities-Without-Makeup.html) The photos revealed many 'plain Jane' images of Celebrities, my favorites included, that I had never for a moment thought possible. Without their make-up, they appeared to be just another 'girl next door!' Some even looked 'much older' than their known ages.

I guess, in some cases it makes us wonder how many of them went for botox treatment, face-lift, breast augmentation and liposuction, and other cosmetic surgeries (including Rhinoplasty). According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, more than 160,000 American children, yes children underwent Cosmetic Surgery in 2008! In terms of the number of Miss Universe titles any country had won, Venezuela takes second place, but the rank in terms of surgical procedures being carried out in any Nation, took 20th place. Not too bad......I guess!

There are indeed many non-invasive ways to counter physical signs of aging such as wrinkles, cellulite and sagging skin namely, adequate sleep and proper dietary habits, Yoga , massage and spa treatment, human embryonic stem cells treatment, health supplements, skin care treatment and other alternative solutions. Most of these treatments are should we say, only able to achieve 'skin-deep beauty'.

There is a tagline that runs like this; 'Everyone Has A Right To Be Beautiful'. It may come as a 'shock' for some to know that it is used for the Miss Landmine Beauty Contest held in Cambodia, (a country that's littered and plagued with landmines) in 2009. This contest had raised quite a lot of controversies like for instance; it was considered a mockery and an insult to see these 'physically-challenged' handicap victims walking around with or without prosthetic limbs in a Beauty Contest! "What's important is that 'MISS LANDMINE' has been a tool for the participants to overcome prejudice, fear and discrimination. It allows them to highlight their abilities while acknowledging the disabilities to themselves and the outside world," says Morton Traavik, Miss Landmine Director and Creator. http://vimeo.com/15485224

Beauty is a subjective matter that concurs well with the saying, 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.' It also conjures thoughts of a 'perceptual' nature that connotes experience of pleasure, meaning and satisfaction. In Koine Greek, beauty was called 'hora', hour. Beauty was then associated with 'one's hour'. It was further expounded with the salient experience of positive reflection about the meaning of one's existence! I feel nobody in this whole wide world would disagree that everybody is beautiful in their own way!

After all if a BLIND MAN can be a 'photographer', what's so wrong about a lady without a leg or a hand taking part in a Beauty Contest?