billboard
She’s as beautiful as she’ll ever be. She is fit, active, and young. Her legs are smooth and toned, her lips are full, her hair is still flexible and smooth, and her breasts have yet to feel the molesting hands of gravity. Her boyfriend either worships her or hates her. She sits a couple rows behind me, listening to her iPod and reading her book. Unlike gorgeous celebrities, she is attainable, but I’m not interested.
Her seduction is naive and superficial. Instead of seeking a man’s respect she wants his affection and attention. She layers her face in cosmetics, ritualistically manipulates her hair, and displays her skin in excess to prove her attractiveness. None of these things matter. She uses bold exposure instead of insightful conversation to entice the opposite sex. She’s self-conscious, awkward, and unsure.
Soon her metabolism will slow and pockets of weight will develop. Wrinkles will appear, and her curves will sag, but she’ll become more attractive. She will learn what she wants, what she deserves, and how she can get it. Eventually the make-up may enhance her appearance, rather than fog it. Clothes she buys will make her look and feel sexy, rather than showing off as much as possible. Most of all she will learn that a man’s attention and the opinions of others shouldn’t govern her habits.
Or, as is the case far too often, she won’t. She’ll remain socially immature and find affirmation only in the shallow. She’ll stress of her outer appearance and never develop a sense of self. She will date unappreciative men and grow lonely or pathetic. She will pass onto her children the same superficial values. She’ll read Cosmopolitan to learn how to please a man, or better her life, from articles written by men. She’ll desire the ogling eyes of men as proof that she’s more attractive than she feels. She will perpetuate the patriarchal assumptions.
It’s too early to tell. Her brains could be betrayed by the flaunting of her temporary body. Her low-cut tank top and low-rise jeans could be material means to gain attention for an insecure child. I don’t have the patience or attention span to find out. For now she is just an audacious billboard for a product I don’t want on the traffic-jammed interstate that is my life. Eye-catching, but barely worth a second glance.