FashBlog.com

Everyone has some level of perfection that they must attain on their path. Now, I’m not saying that they must be perfect, because that’s impossible, but “level of perfection” is something different. In other words, we need to be as good as we can be, and guard against as many mistakes as humanly possible.

For writers, an editorial staff is usually more picky than paying customers. Most customers just want writers to sell something, which does not necessarily require technical perfection, but editors like to put all of the knowledge they’ve acquired to good use. When articles don’t come back for rewrites, an author feels like they’ve reached perfection, at least technically. However, even in such pieces, a writer may not feel that a word or sentence is stating the point perfectly. Even if it does, that could change as conditions change, or the writer’s views become altered. So, standards of perfection thus keep moving.

That being said, are you a perfectionist? And if so, are you one in performance as much as appearance? Some feel it’s a losing battle and just do the minimum, but most of us find ourselves somewhere in the comfortable middle…

I know people who wash everything after one wearing, and others who feel that clothes don’t need laundering until they either look dirty or smell. Some don’t care if there’s a noticeable mark on their garments, while others’ eagle eyes can spot a microscopic spot from yards away. My teenager can wear something for hours before noticing it’s ripped, but other kids refuse to wear anything with tiniest imperfection.

Hair and makeup are another story. I see so many gals with every hair perfectly in place, and some ladies’ mascara never runs, nor does their eyeliner ever smudge. Girls like that always have perfect lipstick that never gets on their teeth. My question of the day is, how do they do that without looking in the mirror every half hour? I know they sell waterproof eye makeup, kiss-resistant lipstick, and super strong hair spray, but still, some people have the knack of keeping their makeup and coiffure looking close to perfect. Now, they may not think they do, and they may have many other problems, but their outer countenance is a whole other story.

The older I get, the more I think that perfection is a myth. I wore braces and still don’t have “perfect” teeth, and my laser eye surgery did not produce “perfect” 20/20 vision. I don’t own a thing that fits absolutely perfectly, and I doubt I ever met a pair of “perfect” shoes. What’s even more discouraging is that most of what we see in the media is totally fake; even those who seem to exhibit ideal beauty and presentation are simply the product of professional fixer-uppers. Heck, who wouldn’t look good with staff who fusses over every inch of them, then lights them in the best possible manner, and finishes the process with airbrushing? So much is an illusion, devised by those who are highly paid to cover imperfections.

I used to tell myself that the best way to look good was to do my makeup as perfectly as possible, then to forget about it for awhile. I figured that the least fussing, the better. But that didn’t always work, and I’d be appalled that I’d been walking around for hours looking as I had been. So, then I kept a mirror hidden in my top drawer at work, but it never failed that a co-worker would stroll by during those moments of checking to see if anything was amiss. In an old book I read-I believe it was “The Fly Girls”, stewardesses were told they should never wear mascara or eyeliner on their bottom lashes, since they had the potential for smearing during strenuous hours of work without a break. Even their hair couldn’t be longer than the bottom of their necks. I’ve never known any flight attendants personally to ask if this was true, but it goes to show that, when it comes to appearances, folks still want perfection-or at least makeup and hair that stays where it’s supposed to stay.

Good luck in looking perfect today. Let me know how long you achieved it.