The Perfect Me

I recently started to read the Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. So far, I enjoy the book.

It’s partially because Holden is a teenager. How many books do we read in English class have teenagers as their main characters? None! And I am a teenager so the book more relatable. It’s also because of Holden’s sarcastic, cynical, snarky tone. But it’s most definitely the easy-to-read kind of language. I can actually read the book and understand what is going on. I know right, shocker! And although I very much enjoy this book, that’s not what I want to talk about in today. This is all about expression. Holden has a hard time getting people to listen to what he wants to say and because of this, it’s hard for him to express himself. And many people find themselves faced with the same problem.

According to Google, the definition of expression is the process of making known one’s thoughts or feelings. And Holden has a difficult time doing this. Everytime Holden talks to someone, he puts on a different mask and hides who he really is. He’s insecure about himself because his thoughts differ greatly from the rest of society. He observes what other people are doing and judges them from that. Holden is afraid of being criticised by other people and being called “phony.” S,o to help Holden be more confident in himself, I’m going to show him how to become the perfect person.

I’m going to make the perfect me.

1. Physical Appearance

The first step would be to change my physical appearance. I’m pretty sure everyone would want to listen to someone who is beautiful than someone who is not as good looking. People are quick to point out the ugly in someone before they point out the beautiful. Society just works in a funny way. If that’s what they want, I’ll give them what they want.

I’ll start with the face. I should have big eyes with naturally long and thick lashes. My eyebrows should be absolutely on point with the perfect arch. My nose is a little flat, we’ll make it higher. We want luscious lips like Angelina Jolie. My jaw, definitely needs to be slimmer. Oh, and the blemishes on my face. A BIG no-no. My skin has to be flawless, bright, and smooth. My teeth should be white. No one likes to see rotting and yellow teeth. Having white teeth means good hygiene. My smile should be gradiant.

Now that I have the perfect face, we’ll move onto my body. I should have a slightly longer neck. My shoulders shouldn’t be too wide. My chest is too small, we can add a little bit more there. My stomach? There’s too much fat on there. I need to lose a few pounds in order to have a firm stomach. My arms need to be thinner but still have the presence of muscle. Not like the body builder kind but just enough so it looks like a work out. Let’s not even talk about my thighs. They’re humongous. When I put my feet together, I have to have a thigh gap. My butt needs to be more tone. More squats for me. Basically, I should be a healthier version of those photoshopped models who can are so outrageously skinny that I can break them if half.

2.        Personality

I have everyone’s attention now, but my personality is lacking. Be confident. Hold my head up high and walk into the room like I own the world. But don’t seem conceited and arrogant. Be kind to everyone. Volunteer and donate money to charities. Everyone loves someone who is selfless. Show that I am a leader. I should be able to act in an emergency situation. And I definitely have to be intelligent. No one would listen to someone who doesn’t know what they’re talking about. I should be every single positive adjectives out there that can be used to describe a person.

So there we have it Holden. The perfect me. You try and create the perfect you. Done? Great. Now people will start listening to us. Let’s test it out. See those people sitting there? I’m sure they would love to listen to what we say. Wait that’s funny, why are they leavin?. We did everything right. What could have gone wrong? Nothing. It was perfect. Oh, I see where we went wrong. We meet everyone else’s expectation, but what about ours?

Photo ©2008 by bejealousofme [CC BY-NC-ND 2.0]

We forgot the most important step. To love who we are. What’s the use of being to person if we can’t love who we are? I remember from somewhere, someone said “People can have their own opinions. If they think that’s too much makeup, then that’s fine. If they think that’s too little makeup, then that’s fine too. But that’s what people think. What about what you think. Does this much makeup make you feel confident about yourself. Do you see you with that much makeup? If it’s a yes, then that’s all that should matter. “

The one and most fatal flaw of being perfect is there is no flaw. And you know what, nothing’s perfect because that’s impossible to achieve. Everyone has different expectations, so there’s no way we can satisfy all of them. We may be perfect to someone, but to another we’re not.

To be able to express yourself, you need to love yourself. So, it shouldn’t matter what others say. Because you are in charge of you. YOU. That’s what matters.

-Jennifer