La avaricia del mercado
29 Jan 2012 1 Comment
in interview Tags: belleza, cuerpo perfecto, el consumo, estereotipos, manipulación, medidas perfectas, negocio, superficial, valores, vivir con armonía
Click here for version in English…
¿Qué significaba para ti la belleza cuando tenias 20 años?
La belleza era para mi un estado innato físico estereotipado a causa del bombardeo de los medios de comunicación y la percepción que tenia (y aún tiene) la sociedad de ella; cuerpo perfecto, medidas perfectas, cara angelical, ir a la moda…totalmente superficial. Los cánones de belleza han ido cambiando y se han adecuado a la época, tradiciones, religión, etc.
Mi sensación a los veinte años era de una imposición encubierta de estándares, a través de la publicidad, para que la sociedad quisiera ser distinta de como es, quisiera cambiar su físico para sentirse mejor. Pero lo más indignante era que el hecho de con
seguirlo viniera ligado con la compra de productos y servicios para alcanzar este fin. La avaricia del mercado; crecer, sobretodo crecer exponencialmente y engañando. Lo más fuerte es que la publicidad, los medios de comunicación, los estereotipos…tuvieran y tienen suficiente poder de manipulación, opinión y divulgación para hacer cambiar el chip de las mentes de la sociedad creando de esta manera necesidades básicas para augmentar el consumo y haciendo creer que son ellos los que eligen. A mi modo de verlo es una fórmula de negocio muy frívola.
A mis 20 años no me preocupaba demasiado el tema físico (superficialmente hablando), soy una chicha del montón y en esa edad era muy consciente de cómo era y cómo me veían, o como creía yo que me veían…en fin, en mi cabeza había la universidad y las grandes preguntas; ¿De donde vengo?, ¿Donde estoy? y ¿A donde voy?
Lo cierto es que asociaba la belleza al interior pero era totalmente inconsciente de este hecho. Veía la belleza como un factor externo superficial, no muy importante y como un factor interno, la esencia de la persona; los valores y ética de la misma.
¿Qué significa la belleza para ti ahora?
Mi percepción de la belleza no ha cambiado demasiado, supongo que en todo caso ha ido madurando. La esencia de la persona, sus comportamientos, sus virtudes y sus defectos, sus proyectos, sus sueños e ilusiones, las derrotas, todas las experiencias de una persona son las que la hacen crecer, aprender, escoger y ser bella en si misma, por lo que es y por su aprendizaje.
La belleza es un conjunto de aspectos que hacen a cada persona única y con posibilidades infinitas para llegar a cumplir sus ilusiones y proyectos, esto es para mi la belleza, vivir con armonía, ilusión, aprender, conocerse, estar bien con uno mismo, ser feliz con los pequeños logros…esto es belleza.
Si son diferentes, ¿por qué tus ideas sobre la belleza han cambiado con los años?
Supongo que mi concepto de la belleza ha ido madurando llegando al punto de que cada persona es un mundo, con todo lo que esto comporta, distinta y bella en si misma física e interior.
“Change the chip”
29 Jan 2012 1 Comment
in interview Tags: beauty standards, big life questions, dishonesty, false advertising, fashionable, greed, inner beauty, perfect body, personal experience, stereotypes
Haga clic aquí para ver la entrevista en castellano…
What did beauty mean to you when you were in your (early) 20s?
Ideas of beauty for me were about internal stereotypes because of constant bombardment from the media and the perception I had (and still have) of the ideal woman: perfect body, perfect measurements, angelic face, fashionable… entirely superficial. Standards of beauty have evolved and been adapted to the times, traditions, religion, etc..
At twenty, I felt a covert imposition of standards, through advertising, to present
society as different from what it was and with the idea that one could change his or her body to feel better. But more shocking was the connection of these personal and societal changes to the purchasing of products and services. The market is greedy to grow, and grow exponentially, through dishonesty. Most disturbing is that the media and stereotypes in advertising manipulate and influence with so much power that they can “change the chip,” so to speak, in people’s minds, thus creating consumption into a basic necessity and making consumers believe that they are the ones who choose. As I see it, this is a very shallow business formula.
When I was 20, I wasn’t too worried about the physical (superficially speaking). I was a pretty natural girl, and at that age was very aware of who I was and how I saw things, or I thought I saw them…my head was full of thoughts of university and big life questions like where did I come, where am I now, and where am I going?
I was connected with internal
beauty but was completely unaware of it. I saw “beauty” as superficial external factor, not very important and not as an internal factor, the essence of a person, her values and beliefs.
What does beauty mean to you now?
My perception of beauty has not changed much, although I suppose it is maturing. The essence of the person, her behavior, strengths and weaknesses, projects, dreams and illusions, defeats, all that person’s experiences are what make her grow, learn, choose and be beautiful in herself…that is what I am learning as beauty.
Beauty is a set of characteristics that make each person unique with infinite possibilities to fulfill her dreams and goals. This is beauty to me: to live in harmony, to hope and learn, to know and be right with yourself, to be happy with small successes…this is beauty.
If different, why have your ideas about beauty changed over the years?
I guess my concept of beauty has matured to the point where I see each person as different, with everything that entails. Different and beautiful in herself, both the physical body and within.
Entrevistas en Catalunya – Ma.Rosa (2o)
22 Jan 2012 1 Comment
in interview Tags: abuela, belleza, divorcio, franja negra, ideas liberales, mujer española, peluquería, ropa alegre, vestido negro
Click here to see the interview in English…
¿Si es diferente, ¿por qué han cambiado con los años sus ideas sobre la belleza? Qué significa para Ud. La belleza ahora?
Ahora voy a la peluquería me visto con ropas más alegres, porque antes tenias que ir con vestidos negros. Ósea que hemos cambiado mucho. Ahora todas la mujeres son igual, de estilo moderno, de deporte, así que ahora ya no hay comparación con las mujeres de otros países, alemanas, francesas. Ahora no hay diferencia entre las mujeres de aquí con las de cualquier otro país. Antiguamente una mujer española se la reconocía enseguida, no se arreglaban, no eran nada coquetas, se ponían cualquier cosa. Ahora en cambio ya no hasta hay quien hace venir a una P
rofessional para que la maquillen en casa, yo tengo 82 años, si fuera como antes yo tendría que i r de negro, lamentarme todo el día y rezar el rosario.
Mi abuela la madre de mi madre murió con 72 años teníamos que ir todas de negro, siempre. Además si te moría alguien tenias que ir 3 años vestida de negro, después de pasar este tiempo pasabas a ligero, negro con topitos blancos. Los hombres llevaban americana con una franja negra. Esto era en el año 40 y pico. Cuando a mi se me murió esta abuela, yo tenia 12 años y ya me hicieron poner de negro. Hoy en día la gente ya no llevan luto
¿Si es diferente, ¿por qué han cambiado con los años sus ideas sobre la belleza?
Yo siempre he sido una rebelde y pensaba que las cosas que me decían no era verdad, que no podía ser, por eso ahora mes siento plenamente a mi manera de pensar. Antes una mujer no podía trabajar, tenia que estar en casa y con la pata quebrada, que quería decir con muletas para que no fuera de casa. Mira que barbaridad, a mi me decía,¡es que tú tienes una ideas muy liberales! Yo les decía que si una mujer no estaba bien con su marido que se separase y me contestaban que eso no se hace por nada del mundo. Mira ahora, cuantos divorcios y yo lo encuentro fantástico. Hoy en día me siento muy a gusto con la vida.
Maria Rosa, 82
Pla de l’Estany
Interviews in Catalonia: Maria Rosa – Part 2
22 Jan 2012 1 Comment
in interview Tags: 1940s, black, black armband, colorful clothes, divorce, free thinker, hairdresser, open-minded, Spanish woman
Haga clic para ver la entrevista en castellano…
Have have your ideas about beauty changed over the years?
Now I go to the hairdresser. I dress in cheerful clothes (because then you wore black dresses). We have changed a lot. Now all women are equal, modern, athletic. Now there’s not much difference from German or French women. Before, a Spanish woman was immediately recognized. Not fixed up, nothing flirty she wore any old thing. Now it’s different. The woman who doesn’t go to a professional does makeup at home. I am 82 years old. In the past, I would have to wear black, be gloomy all day and pray the rosary.
My maternal grandmother died at 72. She always wore all black. Also, if someone died you had to dress in black for 3 years. After that, you could wear something lighter….black with white polka dots for example. This was around the 1940s. When my grandmother died, I did this. I was 12 years old and wore black. The men would wear a black jacket or armband. Today people no longer mourn like this.
Why do you think your ideas of beauty have changed?
I’ve always been a rebel and thought that the things that they told me weren’t always true. They couldn’t be. I feel more comfortable with the modern way of thinking. Before a woman could not work. She had to “be home with the broken leg”. This was a saying that meant “with crutches” to keep her at home. Look at how crazy this is, I would say. But you have such liberal ideas, I would hear. I used to say that if a woman didn’t feel good with her husband, they should separate. People would tell me nothing in the world should make this happen. See now how many divorces there are now? I find it fantastic. Today I feel very comfortable with life.
Maria Rosa, 82
Pla de l’Estany, Catalonia
Gutsy Living: Life’s too short to play it safe
12 Jan 2012 20 Comments
in interview, Uncategorized Tags: aging, beauty, healthy eating and exercise, image, memoir, older women, online learning, self-confidence, Southern California, world traveler
What did beauty mean to you when you were in your 20s?
I was born in Denmark in 1957, and moved to Nigeria, West Africa, for the first six-years of my life. My teenage years were spent in Paris, and then boarding school and University in England.
Beauty in my twenties did not consist of make-up and all the things young girls seem to focus on in southern California, where I now live. In fact, as you can see from the photo, I did not wear make-up, and I’m shocked how at twenty-four, I look more like a kid than any fourteen-year-old California girl does today. Trying to look grown-up before your age was not important to my friends and me in Europe. Perhaps clothes and being thin — not too skinny though—were more important than our hair and make-up. The only girls who seemed to care about ironing their hair straight were the American girls who attended my school in Paris. I do remember rolling my skirt up to make it look like a mini-skirt at school, and begging my parents for a pair of black boots that covered my knees, but that’s about it.
At twenty-one, I tanned my face with one of those stupid and dangerous sun lamps and that was about all I did in my 20′s, except for lemon juice to lighten my hair. I never paid attention to manicures, pedicures, waxing, highlighting my hair and all the things girls did in the U.S., until after I moved to the U.S. In fact, I did not get my first pedicure until forty, and to this day, I still feel like it’s a luxury. Whenever I see moms with their five-year-olds in the U.S. getting expensive manicures and pedicures, it makes me angry. I don’t believe it’s necessary to focus on beauty at five, or even at age ten. I think kids should remain kids and not think of beauty at such a young age.
What does beauty mean to you now?
Now that I live in the U.S., and I’m fifty-four, I do pay attention to nutrition, exercise, staying in shape, taking care of my skin with

Fit at 47, Belize
quality products, and getting 7-8 hours of sleep every night. While I admire many “older” women, like Jane Goodall, who do good for the world rather than spend time worrying about their looks, it’s more common to have procedures done to stay younger-looking today. I spend more time taking care of myself now than before. I feel that it is my duty to look as good as I can for myself, and to stay as healthy as I can for my family. Since I have too many Gutsy things I want to do in my life, now that my three sons are out of the house, I try to maintain my strength at the gym, and exercise my brain through learning new things, especially online. I think as women age, self-confidence and knowing who you are and wonderful gifts that we receive. At least we get something positive out of aging.
If different, why have your ideas about beauty changed over the years?
I live in a superficial society (Southern California) where looks are more important than in other parts of the world. I feel sucked into trying to look as young as I can and sometimes wish that I didn’t care, but I do. I prefer to be honest, if one day I get a face lift, rather than pretend (like some women who say they’ve been blessed with good genes.) So if/when I decide to have my face lasered or a face lift, I shall probably write about my Gutsy laser, or my Gutsy face lift. I think most women care about their looks to some degree, and if they don’t, they’re either not telling the whole truth, or they really don’t care, and if so, I admire them for being that way. Perhaps it’s time for me to leave the Los Angeles area, and move to another remote island where people don’t seem pay much attention to how you look, and you stop caring too.
Sonia Marsh Bio
I’m a mother, wife, author, blogger, unconventional thinker and world traveler, who happens to love tropical islands. My upcoming travel memoir is about our family’s move to Belize.
Freeways to Flip-Flops: Our Year of Living Like the Swiss Family Robinson, Parents move their kids from Orange County, California to Belize hoping to find a solution to their family problems. Once there, mom questions the sanity of their decision to move almost daily, until an unexpected event reconnects her family.
I’m the author of a blog called: “Gutsy Living: Life is too short to play it safe.”
If you’re a writer and would like to submit your own, “My Gutsy Story,” please check out the following contest page with guidelines and sponsors.
Ernestina of El Salvador
10 Jan 2012 1 Comment
in interview Tags: 1940s, 1950s, beautiful, culture, daughters, educated women, El Salvador, elegance, movie stars, well-spoken
An interview done by my friend Patty of her grandmother Ernestina…
What did beauty mean to you when you were in your 20s?

Grandmother in her wedding
“My grandmother said that when she was young, she never really knew or wondered because she lived so far out in the country that she never really got to think about it.
But then she got quiet and said that for her there was always a difference between beauty and elegance. She didn’t know about beauty but her cousin, who was apparently the cutest one, she always thought of as elegant.
Why? I asked. Because she was tall, always dressed nicely and had a good manner about her. ..Then she said something about actresses and movie stars. This was back in the 1940′s or 50′s.”
What does beauty mean to you now?
My friend Patty continued the interview another day. She writes, “I went to see her (my grandmother). She didn’t really want to talk about it at first. But then she started. She said there are a lot of pretty things today. But nothing she would consider beautiful. She made a distinction between the two today. And a lot of nice things, like having visits from her daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, although it didn’t happen as often as she would like.

With all her daughters in the youngest's wedding
She considers a woman today beautiful if she is nicely dressed “not naked” is the closest translation I can come up with!
. There’s a word here – “chulona” - which she used. It basically means as long as she’s not skimpily clad, and she looks nice in her clothes, she could look beautiful.
But she added something this time. She said that women should be educated, and talk properly, even cultured in what she speaks, to be considered beautiful by her. A woman of the world, so to speak! So I guess her view has changed a little. The world has grown and changed for her. Sometimes it gets to be a little too much. And there are a lot of things that are not nice, or peaceful any more. But she keeps constant prayers, and still hopes. And every once in a while, there is beauty still to see.”

Ernestina today
Thank you to Patty for perservering to hear her grandmother Ernestina’s thoughts. May the new year 2012 be full of beauty for both of you, and all my readers too!
Beyond the Book
04 Jan 2012 7 Comments
in interview Tags: Bonny Belle Lip Smackers, Color Me Beautiful, exfoliate, hairspray, helmet hair, innocence, Noxzema, Seventeen, skin care system, skin tones, Vogue

Taken in 1983 with my then boyfriend
Color Me Beautiful. I’m a winter. Seasons uncovered in the student lounges of Virginia Tech. 20-something co-eds brought our color palettes, books and material swatches to try and determine the best colors for being beautiful. We were young, free and innocent; after all, it was pre-911, pre-Challenger, pre-downward economy, pre-Iraq. Our frets and worries centered on dating and parties.
At the student center color wheels in hand, we’d stick our wrists under different types of lights to see what tones glowed in our skin. Hair color proved more challenging. If we dyed or bleached our hair did that change the palette? Debate ensued, more swatches by our faces, and lights, the ever present lights to look for yellow or blue undertones at our wrists.
Our discussions led to clothes swapping as no one had extra money to buy the proper garments. We all sought to be beautiful but not one of us could define what being beautiful truly meant. To us during the 1980s, beauty equated to wearing the proper color sweaters over our jeans or sweatpants. No one used accessories or make-up. Our skin was flawless, not yet wrinkled or spotted from age.On hindsight, our innocence made us beautiful.
Skin care was another point of debate in the student lounges. Did we need a “system”? We’d read about “skin care systems” in Vogue and Seventeen but had no idea what that really meant. Most of us washed our faces with Noxzema, and used a dab of Clearasil when we had a pimple and that was all. Moisturize? Not at that age. We used Bonny Belle Lip Smackers for dry lips and occasionally wiped some lotion on our legs. Being unspoiled by age, weather, stress and life kept us outwardly beautiful.
We wore our hair large and long set with hot rollers after a shampoo with Preference by L’Oreal. That’s what the celebrities promoted and we wanted that same glamorous look. When special events approached, we attempted sleep although our hair was rolled and bobby pins poked into our scalps. Once we had the ideal set, we’d spray it into helmet shape perfection so that no hair moved from place. More time was spent on hair setting than any other part of our body.
Those days of Noxzema and hairspray seem a lifetime away. Today as a 40-something woman, I appreciate the importance of moisturizer and celebrate the laugh lines around my eyes developed through years of joy. I’m much more conscious of what I put on my face, preferring eco-friendly products.
Exfoliate. That is my beauty mantra now that I’m a bit older. If there’s a body part that can be exfoliated I do it.Origins makes a delightful product using sea salt called Modern Friction. Once every few days, I use it to deeply clean my face. My hands get a good smoothing with Crabtree and Evelyn 360⁰ Solution. I scrub my body with Body Shop’s shay butter exfoliator and then I lube everywhere with nut butters of all types. Lips deserve extra special care so I make an exfoliator for them out of raw sugar and honey. Instead of Bonnie Belle, I use Alchemilla organic lip balm for moisture. I definitely spend more time on my skin now but for me it’s a luxury and escape from the demands of daily life.

Taken last year with the same man
Beauty now means laugh lines, highlights and moisturizing. And yes, exfoliating. Life makes us beautiful. Not palettes or color swatches. I don’t need a “system” just common sense and the ability to embrace my inner beauty. Those early days in the student lounge really taught young women how to be a community and to cherish one another for who we were not what we ought to be. The best life lesson for beauty is to be the original masterpiece as we were created and just keep the dry skin away.
Cheryl Stahle from Doylestown, PA (USA) is a memoirist and storyteller as well as an author addressing the joys of families built through adoption. Cheryl facilitates writing groups for both adults and young adults and is putting the final touches on her first book due out in 2012. You can find more of Cheryl’s writing and a schedule of speaking engagements at www.yourbestwritinggroup.com or on FaceBook.
puberty and my early 20s I mainly wanted to distinguish myself from the rest. I think this was partly part of my personality and partly in being a twin. I had a strong need of developing an own identity. I wanted to be different with my clothes. I didn’t wear well-known brands (those years everybody at school had Levi’s pants and Nike shoes) but liked colourful clothes and strong contrast.
nds like Gaastra, Helly Hansen and Musto).
me is especially the calm and the depth I found in the meaning of beauty and finding my identity, in knowing who I am. At first it was a desire to distinguish/accentuate my uniqueness. Now I experience the freedom to choose what I really like and make my inner beauty stronger. I found it’s not whether you follow fashion/trends or put on make-up, but it’s what I radiate and how I appear to those around me. A beautiful impression is defined by my physical appearance, but more importantly, by what I communicate.



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