Cosmopolitan Magazine Interviewee ‘Perfection is…..’
Lifestyle
March 27, 2015
I recently had the privilege of being an interviewee for an article in the
April issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine written by Natasha Devon. It’s a great read about the different perceptions of beauty around the world. It’s out now so go ahead and buy it. I along with a few others were used to collate research for the article. One question asked was, ‘What is the perfect woman’? At first, I came up with a well articulated answer and began to think that it was someone who has a healthy mind and body, a well rounded person…bla bla bla…! I suddenly began to think about the person who has an incurable illness and can’t exercise physically. Or someone who may be undergoing chemo therapy and their body is being pumped with some of the strongest drugs possible. Are they excluded from perfection because of their illnesses? I asked my sister Natalie for her thoughts on the matter and she said, ‘There is no such thing as the perfect woman’. We both concluded that the closest thing to perfection would be embracing your imperfections and learning to be happy in your skin; that’s PERFECT. There is a song by Philippa Hannah all about this subject, go check it out, it’s fantastic.
Within the interview, I was asked how my Caribbean heritage influenced my perception of beauty. When I began to think about it, I realized that so much of how we think and feel about ourselves is influenced by the people around us and the things we hear growing up. When I was little, I can remember thinking, ‘I don’t want to have a ‘picky head’. For those unsure it’s a Jamaican/Caribbean term for undesirable, dry, rough hair. Those with naturally silky soft hair were seen as more favorable, but this is a whole other blog for a different day. The fact that I no longer chemically straighten my hair is a miracle because in my school days being natural was not an option for me. These things affect us and shape the way we see ourselves. It’s been a long journey for me to get to the place I am now where I actually do love to be in MY own skin. What is perfection anyway? Who gets to decide what’s perfect or not?
April issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine written by Natasha Devon. It’s a great read about the different perceptions of beauty around the world. It’s out now so go ahead and buy it. I along with a few others were used to collate research for the article. One question asked was, ‘What is the perfect woman’? At first, I came up with a well articulated answer and began to think that it was someone who has a healthy mind and body, a well rounded person…bla bla bla…! I suddenly began to think about the person who has an incurable illness and can’t exercise physically. Or someone who may be undergoing chemo therapy and their body is being pumped with some of the strongest drugs possible. Are they excluded from perfection because of their illnesses? I asked my sister Natalie for her thoughts on the matter and she said, ‘There is no such thing as the perfect woman’. We both concluded that the closest thing to perfection would be embracing your imperfections and learning to be happy in your skin; that’s PERFECT. There is a song by Philippa Hannah all about this subject, go check it out, it’s fantastic.
Within the interview, I was asked how my Caribbean heritage influenced my perception of beauty. When I began to think about it, I realized that so much of how we think and feel about ourselves is influenced by the people around us and the things we hear growing up. When I was little, I can remember thinking, ‘I don’t want to have a ‘picky head’. For those unsure it’s a Jamaican/Caribbean term for undesirable, dry, rough hair. Those with naturally silky soft hair were seen as more favorable, but this is a whole other blog for a different day. The fact that I no longer chemically straighten my hair is a miracle because in my school days being natural was not an option for me. These things affect us and shape the way we see ourselves. It’s been a long journey for me to get to the place I am now where I actually do love to be in MY own skin. What is perfection anyway? Who gets to decide what’s perfect or not?
All that being said, my name is Sharlene; I have birth marks on my legs and scars all over my body. My upper thighs have cellulite (despite my daily workouts which I love) and I feel just right. Be sure to keep an eye on the blog as next we have an interview with a beautiful, brave young lady who will be sharing her story of self acceptance dealing with alopecia.
‘You’re Enough’
Big Love
Sharlene-Moniqué
Suvi-Tuulia Kulmala
I've also been thinking about the definition of a perfect woman and a beautiful woman and I love what you said: "the closest thing to perfection would be embracing your imperfections and learning to be happy in your skin; that's PERFECT." I agree with every word! So glad you're shining you light Shar! <3
Sharlene-Moniqué
Thanks Suvi xxxxxx <3
SWEETGA BROWNIN
Self Love, is one of the best LOVES…getting there is truly a process. One Love, beautiful!