三十而立时,我开始明白何谓美。.docxVIP

What I Know About Beauty Now That Im in My 30sI spent more than 10 years in womens magazines, and I write a beauty blog with a critical slant. But my real qualification for sharing my thoughts on beauty is 35 years of womanhood. I spent more than 10 years in womens magazines, and I write a beauty blog with a critical slant. But my real qualification for sharing my thoughts on beauty is 35 years of womanhood. From dabbling in my grandmothers makeup kit at age 5 to trying anti-aging creams for the first time last year, navigating the messages I send with my appearance -- to myself and those around me -- has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. For just as long, Ive been asking what goes on behind the scenes in the ways any of us present ourselves. Heres some of what Ive learned. How you feel has little to do with how you look. At age 20 I felt near-constant panic about the circumference of my thighs. At 35, I look at photos from 15 years ago and -- well, you know the punch line. My thighs looked fine. I havent released all insecurities, but I now recognize that self-image reflects mood and psyche, not actual appearance. Wincing about some flaw is a convenient funnel for stress, and its certainly easier than unpacking Jungian angst. My own psychology aside, Ive witnessed this in extensive interviews Ive conducted with dozens of women. Ive talked with a former model who couldnt look in the mirror at times; Ive talked to women with quotidian looks who have no problems proclaiming, I am beautiful. The way the world treats a woman may differ depending on how closely she matches an idealized beauty standard. But that treatment is secondary to your attitude toward your appearance. Part of the lesson here is that each of us has the power to dictate her own beauty. But the other part is that if women all over the beauty map are saying the same things, maybe beauty has less to do with how any of us look and more to do with how our culture regards women. Beauty