I was talking with a friend of mine who just got his braces off. He’s had them as long as I can remember, and he’s really happy that they’re gone. I told him that a year ago, my dentist asked me if I wanted to have braces, but I said no. My friend asked me, why would I want braces anyway? Well, my bottom teeth are just a little crowded. When I told my friend this, he said he couldn’t notice it. My teeth don’t give the appearance of being imperfect because they aren’t that bad. I brush them everyday twice, and make sure to take care of them. I felt I have never needed braces because my tooth imperfections aren’t that noticeable. It made me wonder, however, if someone else with my exact teeth would consider braces.

The more I thought about it, the more I thought that someone would get braces. Obviously, I notice the imperfection, but no one else seems to. Or, if they do, they don’t see it as a big deal. The truth is, I think, that most people consider braces because they notice it much more than other people do. I have felt insecure more than once about my teeth, but I have overcome that and now feel great. Someone else, though, may get braces because they constantly worry that people are judging their teeth.

And that’s where I see a problem. If a person has seriously crooked teeth, then, by all means, get braces. If they feel so insecure about their teeth, then get braces. I just think, for a small, barely distinguishable imperfection such as mine, braces aren’t needed. It made me think why the dentist would ask me such a question. Has she had so many people in her office complaining about their teeth that she automatically thought I would be one of them? I also thought about human standards in appearance, and the reason why so many people would complain.

My first source of influence for people’s insecurity with appearance was the media. Every day, we see celebrities parade around on the screen with blindingly white smiles and flawless teeth, being hero-worshipped by everyone around them. No one can seem to stop talking about appearance, and so many standards are unwittingly set. A girl my age watches all these goddesses and, for obvious reasons, wants to be like them. She runs to the mirror and sizes herself up. Hmm. She doesn’t look as pretty as the muse on her screen. What does she do? Looks for ways to improve herself. Some self-improvement for the right reasons is okay, but, I wonder, is she doing it for all the wrong reasons?

Right reasons in my mind would be health issues. If you want to lose weight only to look like Paris Hilton, well…that’s a not-so-good reason. Shallow reasons usually induce self-destruction. You don’t do it for yourself; you do it so you can look like other people. There is a difference between a having a role model and trying to be a clone.

It should be okay for people to look a little sloppy, messy, or comfortable if they want to. (Not that it’s always appropriate, but that’s a different matter.) Even celebrities are catching it for dressing casually; it’s as if they aren’t allowed to be human anymore. They can’t look a little sloppy, they can’t dress casually, and they have to look absolutely perfect all the time, even if they’re just walking their dog at 7 in the evening. The public picks this up, and we decide to do the same: look inhumanly perfect.

I want it to be okay for people to have somewhat crooked teeth. I want it to be okay for society to walk outside in sweats to walk their dogs. I want it to be okay of someone wants to try a daring new look that the public eye may not necessarily agree with. I even want it to be okay for people to have zits. They are probably the least desirable thing on earth, but every one has that one day where they have a Mount Olympus on their forehead. That should be okay. We as a whole should be able to look past that instead of nit-picking at other’s imperfections to make ourselves feel better. That’s why if I am asked if I want braces again, I will say no, thank you.