Want to know what makes you beautiful?
Want to know the TOP FACTOR in your beauty?
It's NOT, apparently, your confidence, your humor, your creative style, not even your INTELLIGENCE.
No. It's the fact that "You don't know you're beautiful".
Because honey, in their eyes, "THAT'S what makes you beautiful".
I mean, REALLY? I would classify myself as feminist, and CALL ME SKEPTICAL, but I just don't see it.
You know what? I think that I'm beautiful. Does that make me ugly now? Because I am comfortable enough in my own skin to ACCEPT WHAT I LOOK LIKE?
w00p w00p! Kudos for One Direction for promoting self-confidence in young women!
I'm glad that the music MILLIONS OF GIRLS ARE LISTENING TO is telling us to NOT FEEL CONFIDENT ABOUT OUR BODIES. That just gives me the WARMEST AND FUZZIEST FEELING.
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HELL FUCKING YEAH!!!! YOU GO GRRRL!!!!!!! Oh god, when my cousin showed me this song (the thought I would like it because apperntly all the girls like it and think the guys are hott)and I got all mad about this song... First when I saw this title I thought you were gonna go about how cool these guys were and I was about to disown you and my blogger sister (you have been adopted! MWHAHAHAHAH... sorry that was really weird) but then you were cool and I was tres happy!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteLove
Charlotte
I agree with Cess!
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard One Direction yet, but it's super popular here.
I love this post, and I love how you seem to be promoting beholder-type beauty.
And by that, I mean that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And in my eyes, everyone is beautiful in their own special way (:
SO TRUE.
ReplyDeleteUgh oh God, I can't believe you guys in the US are having One Direction inflicted on you. They started over here on a talent show called X Factor created by the evil Simon Cowell, who knew exactly what he was doing when he made this song (or had this song made by someone else). Telling insecure girls that these guys think that they're beautiful is an expressway to their allowance. I don't know how people my own age consume this kind of stuff, do they not stop to think about where their money is going? I could go on, I have MANY FEELINGS on this topic but I will stop here.
ReplyDeleteHaha there's this country music song called 'She Don't Know She's Beautiful' but that one I think is better because it goes on to say 'No, she's not that kind' meaning, I think, that this girl they love isn't the type to look in the mirror and say, Oh Yes, I am Beeeyoootiful - in a snotty way (or look in the mirror and say, Oh God I am Ug-ly and then cry on the toilet about it). Which reminds me of in books when A Girl meets this beautiful Country Hick who doesn't know he's bloody gorgeous which I mean, I have to admit would be attractive because a person who doesn't think about their appearance All The Time is a person that's fun to be around.
ReplyDeleteBut Anyway I also totally hate stupid pop music with lyrics like that.
Little&Trivial
I AM SENDING YOU A VIRTUAL HIGH FIVE RIGHT NOW
ReplyDeleteI JUST HAVE TO SAY... THIS IS KINDA AMAZING. SO I HONESTLY DONT KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT ONE DIRECTION NOW!!! I MEAN CMON GIRL POWER BUT LIKE NIALL... AND LIAM... AND LOUIS OH MY!! (SORRY... HARRY AND ZAYN TOO) BUT ANYWAYS!!! I THINK THAT TOO MANY PEOPLE FOCUS ON APPEARANCES TODAY AND HONESTLY THAT SOUNDS REALLY CHEESY AND BAD BUT IM SERIOUS. EVERYONE SHOULD BE COMFORTABLE WITH WHO THEY ARE AND YEAH ITS ANNOYING WHEN GORGEOUS PEOPLE ARE LIKE "EW IM SO UGLY AND FAT" WHEN ITS LIKE NO... YOUR NOT... BUT PERSONALLY I THINK ITS WORSE TO THINK THAT YOUR AMAZING AND THAT EVERYONE SHOULD WORSHIP YOU BECAUSE YOUR HOT. I GUESS WHAT I MEAN IS THAT THERES A HAPPY MIDDLE (EW WHAT IS WITH ME AND THE CLICHE SAYINGS IN THIS COMMENT) BETWEEN THINKING YOUR A SUPER MODEL AND BEING DEPRESSED BECAUSE YOUR NOT GORGEOUS. I JUST THINK THAT THE POINT OF THE SONG IS TO SAY THAT SHY PEOPLE (LIKE MEE:) WHO DONT THINK THEYRE GORGEOUS ARE BEAUTIFUL IN THEYRE OWN WAY. YOU DONT HAVE TO BE A SELF-CENTERED BITCH LIKE SOME GIRLS YOU CAN BE BEAUTIFUL IN YOUR OWN WAY. NOW IM GOING TO GO PONDER MY CONFLICTING EMOTIONS ABOUT 1D.... HMMM GIRL POWER V. NIALL?? HAHAHA SORRY TO LEAVE LONG COMMENTS BUT I HAD TO SHARE MY FEELINGS WITH THE WORLD!!!
ReplyDeleteCan I just say something? I think it's supposed to mean, that the fact that she's not like,'OMG look at me'. the fact that she's not egotistical is what makes her beautiful...
ReplyDeletehmmm... I don't think anyone is really TRULY egotistical, or would look in the the mirror and think, "OH MY GOD I AM PERFECT EVERYONE SHOULD WORSHIP ME"... I think everyone has insecurities, even truly gorgeous people, and the media (cough *photoshop* cough) has only provoked and encouraged these insecurities. Many models have anorexia and other eating disorders. Even though these people are viewed by many as the epitome of beauty in our modern society, they are still unsatisfied by their body -- unsatisfied enough to starve and vomit.
DeleteMore than seven million girls and women struggle with eating disorders because *they don't see themselves as beautiful*.
Seven MILLION!
I think that in this age of the media affecting girls' body image and self esteem, it is better for girls to see themselves as beautiful than not. Even if they do border on egotism, that is a better alternative to self harm any day!
Hahaha you're so right :)
ReplyDeleteoh, i'm a directioner and you're so right!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment on my dress! And Yeah, if you don't know you're beautiful yool wast time trying to be and feeling unhappy instead of having fun and being creative. How is that beautiful? I heard the song once and it didn't even sound interesting or anything to me.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting post, and I made a similar one recently on 3OH!3's "Starstruck" on my own blog. While I do see your point of view, I think One Direction was only trying to "be cute" and endearing in their own way by cheering girls up who do not see themselves as attractive to guys.
ReplyDeleteWhile that DEFINITELY does not define what beauty is (nor is it cute or endearing), I do think the message was more on accepting one's beauty even if they didn't see it themselves. Maybe view the lyrics in a more uplifting way? Just my two cents :) Great blog anyway!
Ps. In case you suspect so, let me tell you now that I am NOT a "Directioner" haha.
Hello! I found your blog from your comment on Rookie, where you mention that you want to be a milliner (and psychologist, and a million other things-- i feel ya gurl).
ReplyDeleteAnd then I found this and oh, my goodness, when I heard that I thought the same thing! what is up with this trend of guy music artists trying to be all "I like girls who don't realize they are beautiful" - it's like they are TRYING, SOMEHOW to make it seem like they are not sexist or shallow but it's very misguided and makes them definitely seem like they are telling girls to think that they are ugly.
jeez
Anyway, I'm glad to have found ya! Best Wishes
Thank you! I too find these lyrics totally bizarre! Great blog, by the way.
ReplyDeletexo
http://couturecultureblog.blogspot.com
Whoa. You are brilliant. And I love your blog.
ReplyDeleteOh my god. I can't believe you thought that too. I hate that song so much, its just horrible, it has such a bad message. Nobody I know seemed to notice or (more worringly) care.
ReplyDeleteLol guys, you are all so mad. Relax. Nobody is "promoting insecurities". It's just a sweet thing to say. If you would think a little openly, you would realize that what One Direction are trying to say in their song isn't what you're hearing - imagine them telling a shy girl that even though she doesn't realise her own beauty, she still is beautiful. It's sweet, it's lovely, it's teenage pop culture and nobody is getting damaged.
ReplyDeleteAnd this post that is full of hatred definitely doesn't make any of you look beautiful. It makes you look like teenage wannabe - feminists that want to complain about something in culture that they think is wrong, and choosing something innocent.
I think it's rather blunt of all of you to interpret two cheesy lines as "GIRLS WHO ARE ABLE TO ACCEPT THEIR APPEARANCE ARE ALL UGLY". All of you could be focusing on more important issues and actually changing something, but instead you choose to diss some boy-band out there. You have voices, and you have power, and I don't understand why you choose to use them up on issues that don't hurt anyone, on issues you suddenly decide are against your oh so important and intelligent "feminist" views.
And in my defence - I am not a One Direction fan, in case you were wondering. I am just a fan of common sense. I also consider myself a feminist, and would not like to be associated with the ideas you are expressing here at all.
Hey acorn! I don't really know why I'm replying to this because you probably aren't going to read it and I don't really need to justify myself anyway. But here are a few things to consider:
Delete1. The post is not "Full of hatred", it's full of anger -- anger about a song that I personally disagree with. And I'm not saying that every person has to agree with me, or that we should send them letters and protest the song, no! I'm just putting out my opinion about something I believe in.
2. I don't think I'm acting high and mighty at all, as you are suggesting when you say, "you suddenly decide are against your oh so important and intelligent "feminist" views.” I never said my veiws were oh so intelligent! I never said, "Wow. Those 1D fans sure are dumb" I never said that this is an extremely important issue that must be addressed by the general public. Honestly, this is a blog, and the sole purpose of this blog is to express myself. If you've read any other teenage feminist blogs, you'll know that not ALL rants have to be about really important issues. This just happened to irk me that day, and I felt like writing about it. Also, I guess my point in writing this was to think about what we are exposed to daily, like the lyrics of songs that we take for granted, and maybe think about underlying feelings towards women that are usually ignored.
3. You say that this post "doesn't make any of you look beautiful." That is ridiculous! So being a passionate human being isn't beautiful? Caring about things like the feelings of other girls isn't beautiful? This is kind of hypocritical because isn't the point you're making that all girls are beautiful?
4. So apparently I'm a wanna be. Wanna be what?
Because I “wanna be” a whole person, who has passion and the desire to have a voice.
I “wanna be” a person who makes people think, even if it's not necessarily about a PRESSING ISSUE.
I “wanna be” a feminist, true, but does choosing to write about something smaller make me NOT a feminist in some way? Because I also care about abortion, and slut-shaming, and rape culture, and pay equality, and body image in the media, and the list goes on.
So maybe you could think about some of the things I said. I really appreciate that you took the time to read my opinions and write a response, even though it was negative. I think the ideas I am expressing here are not very different from most feminist ideas, so maybe you could hold off on the attack? :) That would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again!
Love,
Gwen