A woman’s vanity requires sacrifice and involves pain. In order for a woman to look her best, she may need to go through painful procedures, which become part of her every day routine, ultimately forgetting or not minding the pain aspect, but focusing on the outcome.
For a typical woman, the phrases “no pain, no gain” and “the end justifies the means” could very well be appropriate because for her, if a little pain and a little money is what it takes to be beautiful, it might be worth the sacrifice.
Now, this is no way meant to discriminate women (I am a woman, too). But many of us, we go through painful routines just to look our best. Why do you think we pluck our eyebrows, wax our bikini lines, or have those sharp pedi tools work their magic into our toenails? Why do we crave for those wicked stilettos that we know will just give us cramps and blisters?
Anyway, let’s not be hypocritical about these stuff we do to our bodies that cause us pain and discomfort, yet we do them still . . .
- Getting Tan or Tan Lines
A good tan may not be painful, but not when you end up getting sunburn. Exposing yourself out there in the sun or staying in a tanning salon is a real sacrifice. But at least we can have bragging rights of being able to have that beach vacation, or at least, look great in our fake tan. Still, we’re burning our skin in the process. We can only hope the damage isn’t permanent. And my, how much skin whitening products we hoard and use when summer is over!
- Getting a Hair Style
You know this isn’t about the usual combing-of-hair-and-putting-on-clips thing. What we meant here is the use of heat and other treatment that ultimately causes you pain and discomfort. Think of hot hair curlers and straightening irons, or that seemingly harmless hair blower. Even donning hair extensions have a toll on your scalp and hair health eventually. Doesn’t it hurt when someone pulls your hair in various directions and clipping them up too tightly? Me? I get a headache by just wearing a tight head band.
- Wearing Skimpy Undies
Anything skimpy and restrictive is painful and uncomfortable. Whether you are wearing tight underwear, waist trainer, or body shapewear, or even those snug clothing that are one or two sizes smaller than your actual size. In more than one instance in our lives, we do punish ourselves into wearing skimpy clothes that leave us almost breathless and unable to take another full breath, though we still manage to smile (yes, it fits!). A thong can look and feel sexy, but at the same time uncomfortable with those tiny strings rubbing your behind – nothing can be as annoying. But well, we often don’t mind.
- Wearing High Heels
High heels, they make us look and feel sexy. They alter the way we walk and sway our hips, and ultimately the way we think of ourselves, and of what others think about us (we hope). Heels are for parties, formal functions, and even casual days when we have the urge to bear the discomfort. After wearing the wicked footwear for even half an hour of standing and walking around, we know the struggle becomes all too real to ignore – evident in how much pain we feel in our curled toes, the crampy legs, and the blisters on our feet.
- Getting Mani & Pedi
Whenever we have manicure or pedicure, there’s always the prospect of getting a cut, especially when we have ingrown nails. And this simple cut can become a full blown infection if we get careless. Also, the usual trimming of cuticles and scraping the nails can be excruciating. Personally, I prefer to do my nails for fear of getting a cut or if I have a pedi or mani, I instruct the nail stylist not to overdo the cleaning part to avoid injury. As for those acrylic nails, they hurt, too, when you put them on and when you take them off. This is especially true if you have brittle nails.
- Plucking/Waxing Body Hair
Yup, it hurts when we pluck, wax or even shave our body hair. And at times, it can hurt a whole lot! Unless we suffer leprosy or lack of pain sensation, we ladies (even men) go through the painful process of removing unwanted hair all for the sake of being beautiful. Also, when the hair starts to grow again, ugh! It’s just too uncomfortable and itchy! No words can describe how frustrating that can be.
- Plucking Eyebrows/Facial Hair
One of the most sensitive parts of our body is the face. When we pluck our eyebrows or remove facial hair, we often tear up without wanting to because the pain is there. It hurts so much whenever we shape our brows in this manner. When we try to wax off tiny hairs around our mouths or on our cheeks, it hurts so much, too. Still, we do these things!
- Getting Piercings
One set of piercing on the ears can already cause us pain, but sometimes can’t get enough of piercings. We often resort to getting pierced in various parts of our bodies – more on the ears, the brows, the tongue, the nose, the nipples, etc. And each time a sharp needle or anything like it goes through our skin, it hurts. With all honestly, it does sting. When the piercing doesn’t heal properly and gets infected, the more painful it gets. Then there’s the pain of wearing oversized and super heavy earrings that seem to stretch our ears down to our shoulders. Sigh!
- Getting Facial Treatment
Facial treatment that involves popping pimples, removing warts, injecting botox and other similar stuff is painful. It already stings when we apply alcohol-based facial cleanser, how much more when we search and pop out pimples or go through facial injections! Then again, we do all these for the sake of having great facial complexion and becoming flawlessly beautiful.
- Going on a Diet & Exercise
Great if we continue to eat the food we love. But not so great if we restrict ourselves to eating bland, monotonous dishes and avoid the guilty pleasures of sweets because we want to lose weight and look fit. A diet requires ample amount of self-discipline and determination for it to work, coupled with regular exercise which is also uncomfortable (or painful) in its own way. Think sore muscles!
But because we desire to have that fit body so we can show off that skimpy bikini (painful!) under the summer sun by the beach (painful again!), we go on a restrictive diet and exercise. Did I mention we also need to wax down there (ouch!) and shave here and there (more ouch!) before we can even don a bikini with confidence?
Oh, the things we do, the pain we go through just to be beautiful. I mean, it’s rare to find a modern woman who hasn’t done at least one of these things. So what do you think of our list? Do you think women should rethink the way they make themselves beautiful, particularly when it involves pain? Chime in by writing your comments in the blank space below.