Fainting Couches and Perfection

     Women have been pushed by society to become an object of beauty and desire to fulfill men's wildest dreams. After all men desire a beautiful woman at his side. A woman who not only can live up to his fantasies, but who also has promise of fertility allowing for his family name to carry on for generations to come.

     There was a time when ladies would contort their bodies forcing them into shapes that would appear as if they ready to bear the fruits of life into the human race. They did this because that was what was expected of them in their social circles. I would imagine their bodies screamed out in pain as the laces of the corsets were cinched with a crushing force. There were many times that the image of a desirable body would break from the stress that corsets would apply to the bodies structure. Bones would break and breathing would become labored, thus the need for the fainting couch. A properly dressed lady would not be able to get enough oxygen to her body and while performing even the simplest of tasks would run out of oxygen and pass out. Why? So that she could live up to the societies expectations of how she should look and to be desirable enough to be selected to propagate future generations.

     The corsets left mainstream society and so did the fainting couch, but that is far from being the end of the love affair with the corset. Men desire the hourglass figure that can be obtained from the corset. The corset left mainstream retail to take residence in shops specializing in the fantasies and desires that your mother would not want to know about.

     Yet here we are today. Year after year. decade after decade. We have brain washed society into desiring that perfect body once again. We have been bombarded by media and the fashion industry into believing that if we do not have that perfect body then we are not desirable and run the risk of not finding that perfect mate.

     Women throw large sums of cash at the cosmetic counters in order to get the latest trends that they are told that they must have. They paint their bodies hiding any and every imperfection because they are told that it is not desirable to have even the slights imperfection. They colorize their faces in hopes that they will be noticed in a crowed, wanting to be more beautiful than a room full of beautiful women. They strive for the perfect eyes to draw in the right gaze and their lips cry out to be gently caressed by the right man. Why is that?

     Our social circles have changed. We are now influenced by advertising and the fashion industry, not so that we can be healthier person but so that the driving forces behind the industry of beauty can line their pockets with your hard earned money. They want you to coat your skin with their chemicals so that they can make money. Not all makeup is full of chemical, so you must do your homework before covering yourself with them. You must remember that your skin can and will absorb chemicals into your body and that is not really in your best interest.

     And back to the rest of the woman's body. A body that is still being crammed into the perfect shape as defined by society. Countless hours are spent at the gym working out, trying to nip at fat deposits in order to be comparable to the airbrushed models wearing the latest fashion trends...that are a must have. As the body can no longer meet expectations money is wasted purchasing body shaping clothing such as control hosiery and  yes, the ever famous corset is back.

     Men have been brainwashed too, into thinking that these unnatural beauties are to be desired and sought after. The expectation of having a beautiful woman on his arm is a driving force in his expectations of that perfect woman. Then at the end of the day, when in the privacy of the home environment, the make up comes off, the shape-wear comes off and reality comes to destroy that fantasy. Once again the mind wanders on to the next prize that the man can possess, crushing the hopes of truly seeing the natural beauty that lies beside him.

     Fortunately, the veil has been removed from my eyes. I still see the beauty as society defines it, but I desire only the beauty designed by nature. Even though I have immersed myself in a world of societies beauty I desire to call for change in how to define beauty. Fortunately, the industry is starting to take notice of this but it is slow and may never be fully realized. Only time will tell.

Please remember that what I have written here is based on my observations and opinions. I do not claim to be an authority on any particular issue that is written about in this article. I am not promoting any particular product. Take what I say and form your own opinions.