American Idolatry

Think about something for a minute. What would life be like if the world had no light? No street lights, no moon, no sun, no stars. No flames to guide your every step. What if light as we know it didn’t exist?

The first thing that comes to your mind may be, “How would I shower? Wouldn’t there be a ton of car wrecks?” Those would provide some conflict. But, if there is one positive to a situation like that, it would be that judging would cease to exist in this world. Numbers on the scale wouldn’t matter, the crookedness of your teeth wouldn’t be a problem, the length or volume of hair would be no big deal. People would see each other for who they truly are.

If you don’t already know, one of our own Saline County natives has stepped up to the television world. Spencer Lloyd, 19, has bravely entered the music competition known as “American Idol”. In this competition, aspiring musicians battle to claim the title of the next “American Idol” and a record deal to jumpstart their career. Lloyd made it to the next level by impressing the judges with his rendition of Colton Dixon’s “Never Gone”. Lloyd has an amazing voice. He also has looks to kill. However, I wonder how much of these reality show competitions involve the contestants’ looks. During the judges’ comments on Lloyd, his appearance was mentioned more times than his actual voice, which is weird since American Idol is a singing show. Upon walking into the audition room, the first thing Jennifer Lopez, one of the judges, says is, “You’re a pretty guy! And, it’s not just the eyes. The skin is gorgeous, the hair is not bad.” The other two judges followed up by making other comments on his physical appearance. What if the auditions were placed in the dark? The deciding factor for the contestants is the melodies bouncing off the wall, not the sparkle in their eyes? The competition could be totally different.

Our society is blinded by this false promise of perfection. It seems that in order to amount to something, you have to live up to impossible standards. If you’ve got amazing hair, your jeans are too tight. If you’ve got the perfect legs, your nose is too crooked. There is always one little thing that the public uses to pick on someone.

Being a teenage girl, I experience self-doubt on a regular basis. I run into times in my own life where my self-esteem is at an all-time low. At one point a couple years ago, I was so caught up in trying to match the models on magazine covers, that I starved myself to lose weight. I lost about 25 pounds in 2 months the wrong way. It took me being weak and underweight to realize that Barbie dolls are just plastic molded into an impossible human figure. If our standards are sending the message of “You’re not good enough” to our younger generations, then how do we expect them to grow up and not be just as judgmental?

It’s time for America to take off the blindfolds and realize that imperfections are what make someone perfect. Color outside the lines. Disobey the standards. Encourage each other to be ourselves.

I would love to hear your feedback. Thank you for reading.