The Mystery Behind #TheDress

White and Gold Version (Left), Original Image (Center),
Black and Blue Version (Right)

I'm sure by now almost everyone has heard of "the dress". In case you haven't, this past weekend, there was a huge controversy over whether the dress on the left was blue and black or white and gold. Social media buzzed crazily when people could not agree on the colors of the dress. Personally, I saw blue and black. I was extremely confused when my cousin told me that she could only see white and gold. After a heated debate across almost all social media platforms, the designer of the dress, Roman Originals, tweeted that the dress was in fact blue and black: "We can confirm that #TheDress is blue and black! We should know!" Of course, I was relieved to find out that my theory was correct.

However, I was most interested in the fact that people became so invested in this mystery. News about this dress spread so quickly across social media because everyone was so eager to discover the truth. Not only was this a mystery about a dress, but a mystery about health, and specifically vision. Many feared that there was something wrong with their eyes when they disagreed with others about the dress color. It amazes me how Americans are so obsessed with their health. News spreads about the newest cancer treatments and salmonella-infested foods very quickly each day. I think to many Americans, viewing the wrong color of the dress was just another health concern. Of course, media went abuzz.

"Stay Weird, Stay Different"

Graham Moore after winning an Oscar for The Imitation Game

During the Oscars this past weekend, I was pleasantly surprised to see so many people use their winning speeches as opportunities to   bring certain issues for the forefront. For example, after winning an Oscar for Boyhood, Patricia Arquette pointed out the importance of women gaining equal rights. John Legend and Common spoke up about the discrimination against African Americans after the two singers won the award for their song, "Glory". However, many people, including myself, considered Graham Moore's speech the most moving of the night.

Graham Moore won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Imitation Game. When Oprah announced Moore as the winner, Moore looked stunned but extremely excited. He rushed up to the stage, eager to spread his words of wisdom to the millions of people watching the event.  Moore said, "I tried to commit suicide at 16 and now I'm standing here. I would like for this moment to be for that kid out there who feels like she doesn’t fit in anywhere. You do. Stay weird. Stay different, and then when it's your turn and you are standing on this stage please pass the same message along." Moore bravely shared his own story of attempting suicide when he was a teenager. He got through it, and now look at what he has become! I think it's wonderful that not only did Moore share this story and bring suicide to the attention of the public, but he also advised people to "pass the same message along". Unfortunately, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in Americans of all ages. People need to know that they may go through dark times, but they can still become something great. Being different doesn't make you worth any less. In fact, it makes you more interesting. Just look at Graham Moore; he won an Academy Award! If that isn't interesting, then I don't know what interesting means.

Redefining American Beauty

Yesterday,  a new unaltered photograph (on the right) of Cindy Crawford circulated all across the internet. Crawford, 48, has been a supermodel all her life. However, after aging and having children, her body looks more like the average woman. Crawford once said, "When I was 23 other women could look at me and say, 'Well, she's never had kids,' but now I have and I know what it's like to have to lose baby weight." After giving birth, she hasn't been able to completely lose her extra belly weight. In this photograph, she decided not to hide that fact. Through this picture, Crawford is inspiring others to appreciate their bodies.

When I first viewed this image, I was delighted to see a woman embracing her natural beauty without Photoshop touch-ups. We have too many photographs in magazines, on billboards, on the internet, and on TV that depict extremely skinny models who have been Photoshopped to look even "better". Yet, those images aren't real. The expectations for beauty aren't real. These unrealistic expectations help explain why approximately 91% of women are unhappy with their bodies.  That fact hits close to home since my cousin struggled with Anorexia Nervosa for a few years. The media's focus on extremely skinny women only contributed to her anxiety. Whenever she started to eat more normally, reminders of thinness haunted her as she turned on the TV or logged onto the computer. For people with eating disorders, this technological age tends to only perpetuate their bad eating habits. Until more photographs like Crawford's begin to appear throughout our society, I'm afraid that women all across America will continue to be unsatisfied with their body images. People need to learn to embrace others' "imperfections" in order to redefine American beauty. This Cindy Crawford image is a step in the right direction.