Worth a Thousand Words

A few years ago when I became a father, I received a gift of a metal picture frame that says "Dad" on the bottom.  Inside the frame is a photograph of me holding my infant daughter while she sleeps.  It is a nice photo, and I understand the meaning behind it, but there is some confusion at work here.

The thing is, these types of picture frames always bother me because of the whole built-in purpose.  Since the frame says "Dad" I can't exactly just put a newer photo of my daughter in it without me being in the photo... because that would be odd.  Also, shouldn't the photo really be a photo of my dad rather than a picture of me as a dad?  Would it be weird to have a photo of me alone in it?  I mean I'm the dad... so isn't that what the frame is for?

If I had a frame that said daughter, I wouldn't expect me to be in the photo, but I would expect it to be a photo of my daughter.  Same is true if the frame said "Best Friend"... that wouldn't be a photo of me, but rather a photo of a best friend right?  Of course if the frame said "Best Friends" then I would expect to see an image of two people... one of which could be me.  If I saw a photo of just one person the context is just wrong and it wouldn't make sense unless that person happened to suffer from Dissociative Identity Disorder.

So what about those frames that say "I Love You" on the bottom.  I would seem rather conceited if I put a photo of myself in one of those frames wouldn't I?  Even if I was in the photo with someone else it still would border on being a bit too vain.  So in that case I suspect it would be best to insert a photo of a loved one that I actually did love.

It gets even more confusing when the frame has a name on it.  So if I had a frame that said "Tom" on the bottom, I assume that means I would have a photo of Tom in the frame.  Of course this means I would need to know a Tom, but I suppose if worse came to worse I could just print out an image of that MySpace guy.

So if a picture frame with a name on it is designed to have a photo of that person in it, it seems that any frame that says "Dad" should have a picture of Dad in it... but not necessarily me, but rather it seems to make more sense to have a photo of my dad - or I should just put in a photo of me and then give the frame to my daughter.  She is only 2 1/2 years old... so I'm guessing she probably wouldn't put nearly as much thought into this as I do... so that would probably work.

On second thought... maybe the picture frame companies need to start including directions on these things to make it easier.  They do of course give you stock images in the frames most of the time (see photo above), but even those are confusing because in some dad frames it just shows one guy while in others it shows a man and child.  I even saw one that had two girls in it which is even more confusing, and one had a girl with a dog which suggests either they are being very liberal with the meaning of the term "dad" or they are from the deep South where that type of thing is considered normal.

I suppose I could be the only person on the planet who has ever given this subject much thought, but hey... if we allow people to just start putting random photos in random frames with no structure behind it before you know it the poles of the Earth could reverse, dogs will be sleeping with cats, and we might actually see a Republican say something positive about President Obama.

Yea I know - it will never happen.

Vanity

Have you ever noticed how people react to someone who has had plastic surgery?  In casual conversation, I often hear people say how they would never do that or how they think it is foolish or how it is superficial etc.  I've also often heard the comments about how people should just be happy with what God gave them, but in reality isn't this just judging others for their life choices?

The thing is, what someone else does with their body has no impact upon me or my life.  If Joan Rivers wishes to have 40 different cosmetic procedures or if a guy down the street decides he wants a nose job, why should I care?

The simple truth is, most people are superficial in some way.  While some may judge someone for a tummy tuck, some breast implants, or a facelift, those very same people are comfortable with dying their hair, sitting under a tanning lamp for that perfect "glow", whitening their teeth, or wearing colored contact lenses.  So where do we draw the line on what is acceptable and what isn't?

Should we really just settle for what God gave us, or should we attempt to "improve" upon it?  God gave me crooked teeth, but I was thankful a dentist was able to give me invisalign aligners to straighten them.  God also gave me poor vision, and although I could have settled for glasses or contact lenses, I opted for LASIK surgery instead.  In the past, I have also paid for teeth whitening, tanning booths, and even highlights in my hair (no metrosexual jokes required).
So is it ok for people to get laser surgery or to straighten their teeth, but not ok for get a nosejob or a brow lift?  Is sitting under a tanning booth perfectly fine and getting hair extensions societally acceptable while hair plugs for a man or liposuction for a woman is somehow considered crossing the line?

Actually, taken a step further - what is the purpose of a pierced ear or a tattoo?  Both are forms of body modification and both (in our culture at least) are done for primarily cosmetic reasons. Personally, it all seems a little hypocritical... not to mention completely arbitrary.

As far as I'm concerned what someone does with their body is entirely up to them.  If they can afford it or if they make it a priority in their lives because they feel it will help them feel better about themselves I could care less.  Obviously if they make their kids eat oatmeal three times a day to save up for a cosmetic procedure that is a different issue altogether, but for the most part I really don't understand why someone cares what another person chooses to do with his or her body.

The fact is, our society (like it or not) is focused upon beauty and physical attractiveness, so I completely understand in this modern world why some people are so determined to have cosmetic procedures.  As children we were always told it is what is in the inside of a person that counts, but as Jim Carrey in the film "Liar Liar" so truthfully stated... "That's just something ugly people say".

I realize the film was a comedy, but you have to admit there is some truth in those words no matter how much we might like to think otherwise.