Our appearances are a reflection of how we would like to be perceived. Carefully crafted to look as cool or sexy as possible, we spend a lot of time trying to create a certain look.
Yesterday, I decided to dye random strands of my hair pink. Not just any pink, but a bright fuschia pink, neon pink, if you will.
Of course, I've spent the past 24 hours getting high fives, strange looks and being told I was "pimp" for the first time in my life. Above all that, however, was the question: Why?
Some of my roommates couldn't believe I would take my perfectly good blonde hair and infect it with pink streaks.
The answer, of course, is because it is fun. Every time I look in the mirror I see my bright hair and get a huge smile on my face.
The past day or so of this experience made me wonder, "Does everyone take their appearances too seriously?"
We spend hour after hour trying to make ourselves look perfect, but I doubt anyone tries to make themselves laugh about the whole thing.
Last March, my best friend from home decided to shave his head into what I can only describe as "an old balding man haircut" and maintained it for a couple of weeks.
He called himself "old man Ferguson" and had a great time running around getting reactions from people.
Why?
Because it made him smile.
Like the reaction to my pink hair, no one could comprehend why he would purposely make himself look anything other than the best he could look.
It makes me wonder what society would be like if we valued our appearance by how much it made us smile.
What if instead of worrying about how attractive we were to the other sex, we put a premium on how much our appearances make us smile?
Little kids get this idea.
They go to the grocery store in Batman and princess costumes and run around the house in Bugs Bunny sweatshirts, diapers and Mom's high heels (OK, that was actually me, but I'm sure you have an equivalent).
When they look in the mirror, they strike a pose and smile.
Their outfits were designed with only themselves in mind, not if their fellow 4-year-olds find them attractive.
Children visibly take pleasure in their clothing and appearances, and it is something we seem to have lost while growing up.
Beauty is ephemeral, and we have gotten to the point where we cling to it in the form of exercise, clothes and cosmetics.
College may be the only time where you have the freedom to dress and decorate yourself as you please.
I certainly don't plan on interviewing for my first job with pink hair, or in my Bugs Bunny sweatshirt for that matter.
This is not a social critique, but a call for people to consider themselves first when they get ready in the mornings.
Stop taking attractiveness so seriously and take pleasure in your appearance whether it is whimsical, silly, fun or serious.
Instead of clinging to beauty, cling to the freedom of appearance and the ability to make yourself smile every morning.
It's fun, I promise.
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