Adverts encourage us to look perfect
Appearance is important, especially in our society, where the media (TV and magazines) encourage us to aim for the perfect face and figure.
It’s no surprise that people feel they don’t measure up and it’s no surprise that people get the feeling that any kind of physical difference is “strange” because they don’t get to see anything but the perfect face and body in magazines and on TV!
But don’t forget a lot of the images that we see in the media are fake. Make-up artists remove every blemish and magazines use ‘airbrushing’ to ‘touch-up’ or change the shape of bodies to make the perfect person. Remember the Dove video?
We are all different, which is a good thing. It would be very boring if we all looked the same!
Fairytales and Films
From an early age, the use of beautiful heroes and heroines in Fairy Tales, fighting against enemies who have scary or unusual appearances, leads us to react to physical differences with suspicion and uncertainty. We see this in adulthood too, beauty always seems to represent goodness in films and on TV. The villain is usually unattractive and the hero handsome.
First Impressions
Yes, appearances do play a part in first impressions but so do lots of other things. The success of socialising with new people can depend on your first meeting. A visible difference might put you at a disadvantage but there are things you can do to make socialising more enjoyable.