Or don’t go on thousand-dollar shopping hauls. Or don’t live in a designer-quality home. In fact, don’t hate me at all….
No. Buying all this won’t make you perfect and don’t even watch videos from influencers who showcase this sort of video.
Remember those ads—Don’t Hate Me Because I’m Beautiful? Well, if you do, then you are old and have a very good idea of what real beauty looks like. In the case of the ads, nobody hates these women. Due to the 1980’s hair styles, though, it’s acceptable to “hate” 1980’s hair.
Kelly Lebrock in a Pantene ad from the 1980’s. Kelly, I can assure you nobody hated you because you are beautiful.
When did society become so hung up on being perfect? Honest to God, I’ve been spending less time on social media these days because of a few reasons—mostly because our political situation has triggered me to the point of medication. But it isn’t only politics. It’s the bullshit of grifters. The allure of trying to be perfect in every way.
Perfect from your face to your body. Perfect in your home. Perfect in every way. It’s boring and underwhelming. And expensive.
Allow me to express my thoughts:
Back in the 1970’s beauty and perfection were not perfect. Do you remember the actress, Karen Black? Her eyes were a bit wonky, and I, as a cross-eyed individual, absolutely loved that she was not perfect, yet she was unique in her beauty.
Karen Black. A true unique beauty. By today’s standards, social media would have the trolls and haters out. Her eyes always made me feel so good about myself.
Remember the great Lauren Hutton? The model’s model? She had that incredible gap between her teeth and, yeah, to add to her attractiveness, she had a lazy eye. I would say that I was in good company! These women were natural and individualistic beauties. And that was welcomed back then.
I don’t think there has ever been a model as naturally beautiful as Lauren Hutton. Her imperfections were her trademark.
Plastic surgery was basically unheard of . No hemorrhoid lips or floating-device titties back then. Natural was in.
The funny thing about this SNL sketch is more and more actors are looking like this version of Will Ferrell these days (Bradley Cooper–are you reading this?)
Can you imagine what Disney’s Cinderella would have to go through today? Oh those lips! Proof perfect ain’t perfect!
Now we have filters—in ads. In videos. And it remains to be false advertising. The Il Makiage ads are disgustingly false. No foundation is going to take your wrinkles away. No foundation is going to erase imperfections. And if you believe it is, then I got a bridge to sell ya.
Makeup should be used to enhance your features and slightly cover up, but not take away, skin imperfections—not making you perfect but making you a better image of yourself.
This is the most misleading crock of shit. Look at this “mature” woman’s skin. It’s normal older woman skin. She’s attractive. She looks fine. She even has turkey neck as we all do with aging.
Look again my dears. Look AFTER she applies this magic foundation that actually filters her! Her wrinkles are gone. She’s blurry–and the wrinkles in her neck are gone. Why…she’s….she’s….she’s PERFECT–and all thanks to the foundation!
And bodies. I’m sure you are familiar with The Osbourne family. Kelly, the younger daughter of the children, in her young days was a bit on the plump side and there is nothing wrong with that. The online abuse she took must have been horrific for a young girl. When she got older she lost some weight and looked absolutely beautiful. She was a unique beauty who marched to the beat of her own drum and I loved her for that.
Credit where it is due, this photo of Kelly Osbourne from Bridgeman Images is gorgeous. She had a wonderfully normal body and she grew up to be a very unique body–her hair color is wonderfully suited to her personality.
After her dad, Ozzy’s, passing, she went into a serious period of grieving. I get that. Losing a parent is horrible and we all have our ways to deal with it. But there is something sad about this woman’s appearance. I cannot bring myself to post a picture of her body because it is too triggering and just too disturbing. However, here is how her face has changed. It isn’t the same one as years ago. Her hooded eyes of youth weren’t perfect but they were her. She was absolutely adorable. Her features are different. Is this because she is in grief or wanting to be today’s standard of perfect beauty?
It’s hard to come to terms with this being the same adorable woman. I hope the 2026 photo isn’t because of wanting to keep up with today’s version of perfect.
Don’t even get me started on home perfection. The onset of home influencers has me wishing that 2026 is the end of them. And brands should know better. Brands need to focus on their product and not some grifter to shill their wares.
Many would view this as contemporary perfection. It’s clean and nice–I’ll give it that much but I prefer a less perfect, more lived-in look!
Growing up, home décor wasn’t a priority in our house. With five kids, tuition for Catholic school, sports and other extra-curricular activities, the focus was on my mother’s obsession with clean clothing, three well-rounded meals a day (and not the processed meals), and a clean house. In her eyes, perfection was polished hardwood floors and cleaning the sink edges with a toothpick (something I do to this day).
We had avocado-colored appliances in the kitchen, and foam-cushioned sofas in the family room because we weren’t allowed on the “good” furniture in the living room. And that’s how many families lived. Nobody tried to outdo each other. There was no “aesthetic”. Either you had a “nice” house or an untidy one.
Ahh. Memories of that “perfect” avacado kitchen from growing up!
Unless your parents were trained chef’s or sophisticated adults, the spice rack contained three items: salt, pepper and Accent. Maybe cinnamon during the holidays. There were no overpriced “organizers” filling the pantry. Pantries were made for children to go on scavenger hunts—like when our moms told us to go to the pantry for a can of tomato paste and we had to peruse every shelf, behind jars and tubes and other items for that small can of paste. It was a challenge and we felt like we had superpowers for merely surviving that trip into the cave of an unorganized mess! It was fun and an object lesson for adulthood in doing research when we grew up and had jobs.
These days, I’m the only one who gets lost in this small pantry. No matter how much I organize it, two days later it’s a mess. I am not ashamed because it brings back fun childhood memories of being lost in my mother’s walk-in pantry!
I find myself obsessed with little videos of people cleaning and organizing their homes into perfection. Do these people cook a meal, or do they live on the ready-made, processed meals that are delivered to their door? Do they take the time to plop down on a cushiony sofa and love seat to read a book or watch a TV show? WTF are they doing vacuuming their garbage cans, organizing their refrigerator, and pontificating their dwelling’s wellness?
My house will never look this organized. I like having “stuff”. Speaking of organized.
Speaking of organized, I am a huge fan of Operation Niki’s videos on cleaning and organizing. I watch her clean instead of doing it myself. And by the end of her videos, I’m tired from all that cleaning and perfection!
I love Niki! Her voice is so soothing and it calms me down. But I do become exhausted after watching her videos. I don’t know how she does it!
Our dwelling’s wellness is making sure we have room spray for the bathroom, and the heat is working during the winter and in summer, the air-conditioning is keeping us cool in the humidity and heat of the Mid-Atlantic.
I’m a big fan–not that my…you know…doesn’t stink but spraying this gives off a guiltless scent!
We also have fake Christmas trees so that our house isn’t bothered by random fir needles popping up throughout the year. That is our home wellness.
The “big” tree in the living room.
In my ever-imperfect way, we finally took the Christmas trees down last Saturday. And there will be no random pine or fir needles!
Our individual wellness? It isn’t having state-of-the-art exercise equipment (even if there was room) in our downstairs family room. It’s me going to the Ob/gyn in January for my annual lady-parts exam, a mammogram in February for my girls to be squished like two crepes, and in March, my 6-month skin check (which is later this week and, as usual, I’m always petrified). Then I have a six-month period of feeling fine until August when I have my annual “wellness” check-up, and every three years a colonoscopy, and in September my other 6-month skin check, which always has me stressed by the amount of sun I take in the summer. Then I have October, November, and December as a distraction, which may be why I love Christmas so much, until January when the cycle commences for the next year.
“THANK GOD IT’S ONLY ONCE A YEAR THAT I SEE HER”–and that’s what my doctor says when she sees me–all of me!
Yes. That is what wellness is all about. Wellness is not watching a wellness influencer tell you that to have a perfectly running body you must take these “generic brand gummy, jelly, artificially fruit flavored supplements to add strength, youthfulness, vim and vigor to yourself. And might I add these little pellets of artificial flavor are not FDA-approved. And they won’t prevent Covid nor will they take the place of being vaccinated. Go to your doctor!
And let’s not forget about hair, skin and nail supplements that multitask. Thinning hair? Save your money and buy a wig.
I love imperfections. In our home, I love that there isn’t a theme in our décor. The vibe is comfort. It’s inviting. Plop yourself on the sofas or a chair. Sit on the floor for all I care. The dwelling isn’t perfect, but it is clean. And that is all that matters.
Welcome. Take yer shoes off and relax. take a seat and enjoy.
Like my parents’ priority was me and my siblings, when my children were young, they were the priority. Currently, the priority is saving our money for travel and spending our money on our mortgage, car payments, utilities and every-day living expenses. The priority isn’t running out and making purchases to have our home be a royal palace. Instead, our home is an imperfect palace. And that’s how I love it.
When I wake up in the morning and see the vision of my face reflecting in the mirror as I go to brush my teeth and was my face, I see a very old version of myself that isn’t perfect. I don’t necessarily love the reflection, but I am thankful I woke up to see it. And that’s what I love.
Every morning. Every. Morning. The age spots. The discoloration. The wonky eyes. The lady whiskers that I need to pluck. But as long as I get the opportunity to wake up and welcome the day, I’m happy!
Skincare, a bit of makeup, and, naturally, my fake hair are my assistants in making me look nice. My eyes are still crossed and asymmetrical. The age spots have replaced the cute freckles of my youth. The lines are lining. Texture is still there. My fang tooth still manages to stick out when I smile—and I love that. All of that is part of what makes me, well, me.
Slap some makeup on to even out the skin, and it does the job. The eyes are still wonky. The texture is still there but with a little assistance–especially with the wig–and my imperfections are an asset! Note–I’m not wearing mascara!
I love the comfort of our home. When I come home from work at what I deem “Shudder Island”, I am entering my comfort zone of individual home décor and not that of some grifter telling me how to decorate. It is my husband and my collective.
My happy place. It may not be perfect to some but to me–it’s my chateau!
So there. Take that throw blanket that your dog bit a hole into. Take that scratched arm of the sofa that your cat decided to dig their claws into. Take that tiny wine spill on the sofa to remind you of a great gathering during the holidays and embrace it all. Admire your imperfections. Because they have personality. Imperfections are fun and quirky. They are unique and make you..well, you!
A gentle reminder that we live with a dog.
And another gentle reminder. Chippy owns this sofa. And yeah, there’s a little stain on the sofa’s arm. But it isn’t worth it to sweat the small stuff. It makes life realistic!
Imperfection is reality. Smoke and mirrors, as well as perfection, is an illusion and not realistic!
Another Temu favorite. This trench coat. Around $25, it’s going on two years. Why am I packing it? I can’t stand traipsing around in a heavy coat all day. I may be old but I still get hot easily and hot flashes. The cut of this coat–especially in the sleeves, is generous enough that a heavy sweater can be worn underneath, giving warmth. I just need a scarf, gloves, and a knit cap to keep me toasty when walking out and about.
