Conformity

I've been pondering a bit these days about the concept behind conformity. It's almost always viewed as a rather negative phenomenon, especially by American ideals. To this society, we see conformity as a means by which an individual cages up their freedom or self expression or uniqueness. To some extent, I agree. Simply shutting your individuality inward in order to appear the same as the herd is a scary and lonely thing isn't it? That kind of defense mechanism dilutes communication, exploration, and flavor in humanity.

And it led me to contemplate about the so called "rebels" out there, who believe that they are nonconformists because they refuse to oblige by societal norms. I remembered the punk rock era of the late 1970's at the birth of bands like the Sex Pistols and Vivienne Westwood's shocking fashion outbreak of torn clothing, pins, chains, and creepers. That whole punk scene sparked a huge movement of other "nonconformists" as well, and I have to admit, the whole thing was pretty epic.

But don't you think that despite this absolute culture shock that the punk rockers created, they were still conforming? Don't you think they were well aware of being part of the punk rock "group" with their chain, studded, leather, badass uniforms? Even in the slightest way, I think everyone is a conformist. And what's wrong with that? You can bet anything that they were happy about what they were doing, what they were contributing to. It probably made them feel great to be a part of such a prominent scene.

In the end, we're all human and humans are at the core, animals who respond to stimuli that will ensure survival and ultimately, happiness. Since the human race existed, we've traveled and settled in groups. We've communicated and compromised and, for the most part, tolerated one another for centuries.

It's a basic human need to want to be a part of a group--even if that group consists of only one individual. And in turn, I think it's a shared fear to be alone, whether communication exists or not, the thought of loneliness is quite an intimidating one if you really sit and think about it.

Yea, I guess I'm kind of a conformist myself, following a religion and abiding by the dress code, adjusting my manners accordingly, adjusting what I eat and drink accordingly, etc. My entire lifestyle is on the basis of my religion.

So why don't I feel oppressed or muted or colorless? It's because no matter what group a person chooses to be in, no matter what society or religion a person chooses to abide by, they're still themselves. No two fingerprints are alike, and I think God made us that way to remind us that we're our own unique individuals and that we must love ourselves for who we are and what we can shape ourselves to become. ♦

May the peace and blessings of God be upon you. ♥

Make Me Up

Been thinking about makeup lately... It's interesting to me how makeup has become a crutch for girls everywhere to hold up their self confidence.Now, I'm definitely not saying that's the case for everyone, and I don't think there's anything wrong with utilizing makeup to enhance your natural features--or in that case to even go crazy with bold eye shadow colors and lipstick shades.

But what's saddening is when a girl begins to rely so much on makeup that she finds her natural, cleaned up face to be ugly or embarrassing. She finds it easier to walk out of the house with a paper bag over her head rather than go without eyeliner on.

Makeup at that point just becomes like a defense mechanism. All those products are her face.
I personally don't wear makeup for several reasons. One of those reasons is that I'll easily become totally dependent on it. And then I'll feel hideous if I'm not wearing makeup when, in reality, my face is perfect the way God created it.

Back in high school when I didn't wear contacts I had these black thick framed glasses that I wore constantly (I'm quite blind, you see). The mere idea of taking the glasses off made me more apprehensive than a kid who just realized he came to school without pants on. Truth was, I hid behind my glasses because, as bizarre as it sounds, my face was more visible without them--and therefore more out in the open for others to see.
When I finally decided to take them off and move on, I felt very exposed. I felt like people everywhere were scrutinizing my face. It was uncomfortable for a while, but eventually I got used to it. And it was a major part of a process of becoming a more confident person.

I think beauty really comes from the way a girl carries herself, the values she builds herself on, and having a good sense of humor. Maybe I'm oversimplifying beauty--it's such a subjective topic to discuss, after all.
Regardless, I think makeup has very little to do with a girl's potential beauty, and I hope that girls everywhere can learn to feel confident and gorgeous without it :)

Skirt: Forever 21 $20ish

Shirt: JCPenny $10

Cardigan: Kohls $7

Invisible

One of the most amazing things I've seen in a while :)

Turtle Turtle

Just wanted to show off this little guy. I got this ring in NYC at Canal Street. I was hoping to find a decent bag for cheap but sadly, returned empty handed--well, except for this blue treasure ♥