I was talking with my sister in law last night about the Golden Globe awards, which I hadn't really watched. She mentioned that Ugly Betty won some awards, and asked if I'd ever seen the show. I havn't, but that lead me to ask her if she ever saw The Devil Wears Prada, in which Merryl Streep was amazing.
Then I started to think about the differences between the characters Betty and Andrea. I wonder... is it better to embrace your imperfections, or should we constantly be working to change ourselves? Is it always bad to try and conform to different standards? How far would you go to suceed, and how would you measure that success?
Ten years ago, I would have been Andrea. Today... while I would like to say that I am more like Betty, I can't. Because life isn't that simple. It isn't all about me anymore. The truth is, I'll do whatever I have to do to help my daughters succeed. You know, except that murdering cheerleeder thing (remember that? I think Kirstie Alley played the mom in the made-for-TV movie. Or was it Holly Hunter?), or that dealing drugs thing ala Weeds. (That show irritates the heck out of me. What kind of mother becomes a drug dealer? I mean, at least do something legal, like be a stripper or something, so that you won't have to deal with the whole potential of leaving your kids behind while you serve time.) Anyway... I still think I am a bit more like Andrea. I want to look good and impress the people around me. I shudder when I look at old photos of me, photos that pre-date my purchase of eyebrow tweezers. Am I shallow? But... I don't rely on the mirror anymore. Instead, I let Greg be my mirror. I am fortunate to be married to a man who knows all my weaknesses, but when he looks at me sees only my strengths.
Your turn.
Who would you be?
- Betty is smart and unfashionable and, I presume, intends so stay that way.
- Andrea is smart and unfashionable but is driven to conform.
