Flawless Flaws

The one thing that stuck out to me the most in doing this week's readings was the value of imperfection. I'm a sociology minor, so I instantly saw this as the functionality of imperfection. There are pros and cons to our abnormalities, and sometimes these functions are easier to see than other times.

In "Strip!", Diana Courvant discusses the tribulations of undergoing the sex-change process from start to finish. She focuses on a pivotal memory during the awkward in-between phase of having breasts but also having male genitalia, and overcoming the fear of herself by stripping in front of a crowd of 90-100 people at a conference. Although she was uncomfortable with these parts of her body, showing them off to the masses made her completely comfortable with her body. They were both a stressor and a stress relief: dysfunctional and functional at the same time.

My favorite line in "Barbie-Q" by Sandra Cisneros reads "So what if our Barbies smell like smoke when you hold them up to your nose even after you wash and wash and wash them. And if the prettiest doll...has a left foot that's melted a little - so? If you dress her in her new 'Prom Pinks' outfit, satin splendor with matching coat, gold belt, clutch, and hair bow included, so long as you don't lift her dress, right? - who's to know." The story refers constantly to the speaker and her friend not being able to afford the brand new Barbies and striking gold by finding damaged Barbies for cheaper. This reminds me a bit of the Beauty Myth: perfection, just like the perfect Barbies, is only available to those who can afford it. Imperfection is functional in its availability to the masses, and if one takes the attitude of "so what?", then "who's to know" the imperfection is there in the first place? It allows us to feel perfection without necessarily having it or having access to it.

Take this picture of Kim Kardashian for example. The photo on the left is the natural shot and the photo on the right is airbrushed, and more likely to appear in the media. If you didn't see the picture on the right, would you notice her "imperfections"? Would her thighs really look that big if they weren't next to tiny, cellulite-free ones? Would her waist look that chubby if it wasn't next to that of someone who doesn't eat regularly? Would you notice her abnormal hairline if they didn't simply remove it? "Who's to know"...

In John Varley's "The Barbie Murders", perfection is shown as nothing but dysfunctional, as it allows one Barbie to wreak havoc on the others while getting off scot-free. Since the Barbies are all identical, investigators can get nowhere when Barbies are killed by other Barbies. The message is clear: perfection and purity and the pursuit of them are dangerous. These pursuits result in a loss of identity, dangerous to ourselves and to those around us. Imperfections are safe, especially when we are comfortable with them.

We see imperfections as only being dysfunctional. I challenge you to find what purpose yours serve.