Suffering for Beauty

Walking in the Parc du Champ de Mars (the Eiffle Tower park) i noticed a very cute pair of high heeled sandals sitting under a park bench. It was a warm day, sun shining and a scores of pale Parisiens pursuing tans. Next to the very high heels was a beautiful woman with seven band-aids on her left foot. (I couldn't count the right foot too without being totally obvious.) After having walked miles myself in my practical but cute flat soled sandals for the first time this season i too had a blister on a tender toe. The next morning on the recommendation of a friend i went to the pharmacy and there i discovered the secret of high heels in Paris--a wall of bandages dedicated to blisters. A specialty bandage in every shape or form for every possible shape blister in every possible location on the foot. And please let's put this in perspective: shampoos a half a wall, deodorants a quarter of a wall, lotions a half a wall, ampules (blisters) full wall. I was astonished and then i began to think: "What will we suffer to look good?"

The suffering is not confined to the physical. Clearly woman have physically suffered for beauty: whale-boned corsets, bound feet, Christian Louboutin shoes. (Men too, hair transplants, penile enlargements, steroids.) But how much do we suffer emotionally in the name of appearing strong, capable, loving or even needy in order to attract someone's attention? The masks we wear might be beautiful but they are indeed as painful as as a pair of Louboutin four inch heels. And unfortunately there is no wall of band-aids to provide temporary comfort. Really the only solution is to de-mask.

Luckily for me the blister was small. The bandage cheap. And gone the next day.