Statement of Perspective
When brainstorming memorable moments, this incident always comes to mind. It was our eighth grade field trip to the White Water rafting center, and my friends and I were prepared for a legendary day - little did I know that I 'd be left with a physical reminder. The trip was going great, that is, until I got whacked in the face with my friend’s paddle as she fell from the raft. Fortunately, she was not injured, but unfortunately, I was left with a nasty swollen lip.
At that time, I was insecure about thousands of things, but one feature that I absolutely hated was my nose. It's got this bump, called a dorsal hump - information that I've learned from body checking trends on Tiktok and rhinoplasty research…Anyways, I vividly remember looking in the mirror to check if the wound was visible, and first being shocked at how huge my lip had gotten, and then immediately after, thinking, "I wish it hit my nose, then at least I could’ve gotten a rhinoplasty out of it." I was sort of joking, but to be honest, I was also serious. The comedy of the statement makes it memorable, but the more I reflect on it, the more I realize that this was an insane reaction to an injury. Not, "it hurts so much", "how did this happen", or "should i get ice", but instead, "I hate my nose."
The second thought after looking in the mirror being about that internal hatred is a complete hyperfixation. Even though the absurdity of the statement is comical, I recognize that I was deeply struggling at that time, wounded internally. When creating this piece, I really wanted to highlight the ridiculous thoughts that people, especially young girls, have surrounding their insecurities, in order to demonstrate the impact of these feelings on one’s psyche, making the most unusual thought patterns seem completely normal.
Furthermore, I hope that when reading this piece, people can reflect on where these insecurities and the demands for solutions like plastic surgery stem from, urging them to take notice of the effects of their words and actions (especially on social media, and generally the extreme burden that beauty standards place on perfectly beautiful individuals. Nobody should be forced to put their looks before their well being - that’s the root of eating disorders, botched plastic surgeries, and irreversible damage to one’s body.