Karlie Kloss is insecure, too (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
We've all heard the phrase "the grass is greener on the other side." As a kid, your neighbor's toys were always better (don't think I've forgotten you or your Barbie Jeep, Kayleigh). As we mature, the grass becomes greener in different ways. An alternative way to phrase this conundrum speaks to the reality of our sometimes-foolish desires: We think we will be happier with a different set of circumstances.
Yet the truth is, there's a human inclination to always find problems in whatever hand is dealt to us. For instance: My most coveted feature (by other people) are my light blue eyes. But I personally find them to be creepy; I think I look like a serial killer in countless pictures. That being said, my friends with brown eyes think their coloring is "boring." (Because, you know, facial features have the ability to entertain us.)
To illuminate this issue, New York Magazine shared a collection of quotes from famous, glamorous women discussing their insecurities. One of the statements came courtesy of Victoria's Secret model Karlie Kloss, who had a surprising confession:
“My sisters have always been these gorgeous glamazons, and I’m, like, this tall skinny stick in the family. And I still am the tall girl, even on the runways. Every time I see Karl Lagerfeld, he’s always, like, ‘Karlie, have you stopped growing yet? Are you taller?’ [Laughs.] It used to be something that I really disliked about myself, being tall and lanky, but it turned out to be the greatest asset I have—how uniquely weird I am.”
WTF?
Wait, so Karlie's the awkward Kloss and her sisters are actually the "gorgeous glamazons"? Victoria's Secret has been lying to us all this time? Really—what's going on here?
It's not just Karlie; other stunning celebs (of both genders) are quick to confess their insecurities. Fellow Victoria's Secret model Miranda Kerr actually came forth and said, "Models are some of the most insecure people I've ever met." To prove her point, former model (and lover to Adam Levine) Anne Vyalitsnya has also gone on record stating that she has never felt pretty.
To outsiders, this makes no sense, and can even come across as deeply annoying. How could a beautiful women with legs for days and perfect pouty lips feel this way?
Cameron Russell may have an answer. In her TED talk, the veteran model illuminated a crucial point:
"I am insecure . . . I have to think about what I look like every day. If you ever are wondering, 'If I have thinner thighs and shinier hair, will I be happier?' you just need to meet a group of models, because they have the thinnest thighs and the shiniest hair and the coolest clothes, and they're the most physically insecure women on the planet."
Cameron went on to explain that her pictures aren't of her; rather, they are the result of team efforts involving lighting, makeup, hair, art aesthetics, photo editing and sometimes Lucifer himself (OK, maybe the last part is a bit hyperbolic). Think about that for a second. It's one thing to think you have creepy eyes; it's quite another to see a team of artists agree with you, then take digital measures to alter your appearance. Repeatedly seeing your face (in ads, lookbooks or what have you) altered to be a "better" you has to be demoralizing. And on top of that, you're surrounded by others bestowed with genetically gifted traits 24/7. How could you not be insecure?
Body Image Real Talk
All of this taps into the bigger issue at play: Your insecurities would not disappear if you woke up tomorrow with a new, ostensibly "perfect" body. Instead, you'd find new "flaws." While there are physical attributes that humans are biologically inclined to find attractive, you know social expectations are amiss when the most beautiful creatures on the planet still hate their appearances.
Social expectations surrounding beauty have reached the point where the ideal is no longer a tangible aesthetic, but a desire to look different than you do; the "grass is greener" ethos is a key tenet of socialized beauty standards. And yet, it's in these very differences that beauty so often manifests. I may shudder at my serial killer eyes, but many compliment them. Karlie may have hated her "lanky" body, but her sky high legs and lean bod . . . sorry, what was I saying? Oh right, Karlie is a stunner and we're baffled she ever thought otherwise.
To the "grass is greener" notion, we give a manicured one-finger salute. Don't be different from you. Embrace what you hate. Going back to the first example about kids' toys, remember this: After awhile, even those grew less enviable. The grass doesn't have to be greener on the other side . . . but it will always be if you let it.
Image: Is that . . . a pore?? Courtesy of, ThinkStock http://www.thinkstockphotos.com/image/stock-photo-concerned-young-woman-...
