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IS PERFECTION BORING?

CATEGORY: BEAUTY

perfectionHow can perfection be boring? Who doesn’t want to be perfect?

In response to my article about stress, a friend shared with me Deepak Chopra’s video in which he talks about managing stress and enjoying life. Besides Marianne Williamson and Eckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra is one of the spiritual teachers that has been inspiring me for years. In his video, he lists perfectionism as one of the main causes of stress and calls perfection boring.

When I discovered Instagram several years ago, I was captivated by the omnipresent perfection. Instagram was both inspiring and aspirational. It had the same sugar rush effect like browsing through women’s magazines. It was only after I gave birth that I realized how bad it made me feel. I blamed the app but in reflection, it was my own tendency to compare myself to others. While everyone’s life seemed perfect, my daily reality made me feel like a looser.

It may have something to do with my age, because several of my friends feel the same. As we are slowly (but steadily) approaching the magical number of 40, we ponder our life and choices we made. My friends are not comparing themselves to other bloggers like me. But they are all mothers and their object of comparison is another mother who seems to “have it all”. Work, family and time for herself. I think we all (at least in one point of our life) look up to someone and think the grass is greener on the other side. And it is hard not to do that in our competitive society where one’s success is measured by having more and being on top of the echelon.

There is one article “Time to Uncover” that made me think about perfection and self-acceptance a lot. Alicia Keys wrote it and published it in Lenny Letter. A bi-weekly newsletter written by Lenna Dunham and Leni Korner that covers everything from feminism and style to culture and politics. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you are missing a lot.

In her article, Keys talks about her decision to stop wearing makeup. She is in a position where such (seemingly) banal decision can make a huge impact on girls and young women. Thumbs up! When you are in a public eye, you are expected to look perfect all the time. And no matter your genetics, you are pushed to comply with Eurocentric standards of beauty. That is why Keys natural hair,  #NoMakeup revolution and head scarves make such a buzz.perfectionperfectionperfection/ tie-dye headscarfperfection/ red snakeskin printperfectionperfectionperfection/ tie-dye headscarfperfection/ red snakeskin print


OUTFIT:

M.I.C.I. Côte d’Ivoire Skirt, white t-shirt from Majestic (similar), ti-dye hair scarf handmade by my mom (lovely option), Céline handbag (great alternative (now on sale!), love this suede one as well) and Bucherer bracelet (budget option/ splurge).

Photos by Alexander Ramp.