Over those last great years before the “crash”, cosmetic surgery and anti-aging skincare grew by double digits. It appears that when we had more money than sense, we could take dramatic approaches to aging and appearance. Right now, I recognize that none of us thinks we have money. With all the pressures and predictaments we face today, we are probably also feeling that self-actualizing is irrelevant in the face of funding basic needs. We’re all back at the bottom of Maslow’s hierarchy.
While our appearance certainly affects how we feel about ourselves, one has to wonder how much of our Botox or body and facelifts are actually masking more serious self-esteem issues. Recently I learned about a high school student who opted for cosmetic surgery because of out-of-control criticism from a classmate on Facebook. This is only one of a long list of examples where I fear we’re more focused on how we appear to the world than improving the world by activating our personal goodness. I’m going to urge us to refocus on getting our world house in order instead of putting a new coat of color over peeling paint.
Kudos to Dove and Walmart for promoting our inner beauty! http://www.dove.us/#/cfrb/
Filed under: My Plan After 50 Musings | Tagged: inner beauty, Maslow's hierarchy, self esteem, world house
