Question Number 11: Painful Beauty

Today, I had an appointment to pierce my cartilage.

I did it because I love quirks; I love having qualities-however seemingly insignificant-that become part of who I am.  Also, I simply love the way it looks.

Yes, I will admit it was painful.  And for the next week or so, I will not be able to sleep with my pillow against my left ear.  And every time I push my hair behind my ear, it stings for a moment, reminding me of the new, tender hole in through my cartilage.

Is it worth it?  I think so.  I love it.  After all, beauty is often painful.  But the lingering pain forced me to ask myself a question:

Why do we inflict pain on ourselves to achieve 'beauty'?

I will be the first to admit that getting my eyebrows waxed may be one of the most miserable experiences imaginable- and yet I, along with millions of other women, have an appointment to do just that every other month.

Walking in heels could be considered torture for your feet- and yet for special occasions I shove my feet into the most uncomforatble shoes imaginable and walk with my head held high and my feet throbbing, tripping every other time I take a step. 

As women, many of us pluck, pull, remove, improve, and alter endless aspects of our appearances to achieve that ever-desired point: beauty.

Sometimes, I wonder what 'beauty' would be if we all simply crawled out of bed in the mornings and walked out the door.