American Beauty.

this post is long overdue.


so you've seen the movie right ? i always thought it was clever, but this year i understand even better how true and sarcastic it is.

the weight of appearances in this society is just everything. come to think of it, who else would have invented fake tan, teeth whitening and cake frosting ? also, who cares if the walls of your house might collapse under a little storm, or if you can hear everything from one room to another, it looks awesome on the outside!

you have to look successful, you have to look like you made it. it's like the american dream is more alive than ever, as the ultimate goal to achieve, and without which you might just be a loser, or an outcast, it's all about your point of view ;)

"leslie: man i wish i could ice those cookies really smoothly, not all crappy like say, this one
anneke: see cassie, the lady who brought us the cookie cutters and stuff, i bet she can do it, she's perfect
leslie: there's no such thing as perfection, don't worry, there's something wrong with her"

see what i'm talking about ? even a successful liberal 30-something woman, with the husband-kid-career combo, still has this idea that that lady, with the nice hair, the two kids, the lovely husband, who's really good at hosting parties and icing cookies, deserves to be called perfect. who the heck decided she has it right ?

i don't really care about that, probably because i'm not american in the first place, and i'm so damn far from the picture, and also because if everyone says that's what i should be, well i'm likely to go in the other direction, just for the sake of it.

but another tip of this big iceberg of prejudice and shallowness --and the reason i remembered i needed to write an angry note about it-- is the everlasting weight problem, and also what your face looks like. last week, i hear j.love hewitt was being bashed because she wore a bikini on a random beach and well, did not look like a size zero (ie size 30 if you're european, and ps i didn't know we had anything below 32). anyway today i bumped into le picture:

 

 

i mean seriously, are we having this conversation? i just wanted you to know, this is where i live.

one last thing:
"leslie: man she looks nasty [america ferrera in ugly betty], and she's so pretty in real life!
anneke:well, i wouldn't say so pretty
leslie: she's not typical american jessica alba pretty, but still she's really pretty
anneke: i'd say she's average
leslie: ugh whatever"
don't know about you, but i've looked worse:

 

 

 

 

i'm not sure that i actually have a point, but you get my opinion. how can being so shallow create anything besides frustration and neurosis ? in the end, the cheerleader wasn't so slutty, and the homophobic father, not so straight.