Jane's Same Old Soap Box

Kiki- you may not want to read this. OR! tell me what you think, but don't get defensive.

Last night Jane was flipping channels and came across a "reality" show about the next super model. Out of curiosity she watched for only a few minutes, but it was a life changing event. Literally hundreds of girls one by one entered a room to meet the dozen or two judges, presumably presenting their portfolios. On a screen came a slide show of photo shoots of the girl. Many were immodest, to say the least. These were YOUNG girls, I'd be surprised if they were older than sixteen, so skinny their arms looked like twigs. And there was something very unsettling about watching this for Jane. The girls WERE pretty and confident and their is nothing wrong with being skinny even though Jane, in her own insecurity, often sounds critical. But there was something wrong with the fact that this seemed very much to be ALL that these girls were being given to aspire to: Being skinny and pretty and revealing flesh. Not only that, they are setting the standard for beauty for all women. These were girls coming from all over the world to New York, because that was the epitome of the fashion and beauty industry.
What happens when these girls mature? What if they develop breasts and hips? What if they get a wrinkle? What if they want to go to college and develop their mind and or other talents? Will they have the time? Will they have the confidence to age gracefully? It scared Jane.
Not just for the girls, which honestly was a good part of it. But also for herself. How many times does Jane go to the gym with a picture of these fashion models in mind as motivation? Not that she believes she will look like them, but as an ideal. Where does Jane turn when she's looking for a new style or way of doing her make up? And this soap box is different. Somehow in the few minutes she watched this show, Jane's window of belief changed. It's NOT right to glamorize this ideal so much. Fashion magazines and catalogs and advertisements- fine, it's the world we live in. But there is something subtly wrong with it's enticement. The devil can't get to everyone with big huge sins. But he can get to us with self doubts, immodesty, the desire to be beautiful and accepted and desirable.