The Joke I Wasn’t In On

Posted in: Personal

The Joke I Wasn’t In On

Recently, I was in New York for some engagement sessions. While the shoots were amazing, I had an experience I wanted to share.

Shortly after waking up one morning, I went across the street to a bagel shop for breakfast. Following close behind me was a man and a woman whom definitely drew attention.

She was tall, blonde, skinny, and, from her cheeks bones, to her perfectly straight nose, and plumped lips, she had obviously made several trips to her plastic surgeon. Admittedly, I caught myself staring at her. I wasn’t intending too, but I guess in Kentucky, we don’t see a lot of that. As I realized I was being rude, I intentionally directed my attention elsewhere.

My brief stare hadn’t gone unnoticed, though. The woman behind the counter made eye contact with me and winked. “I KNOW!” She said to me under her breath. I felt my face flush. I wasn’t thinking anything negative about the woman, I just was interested. What had she looked like before? Did she like the way she looks now?

As the woman and her beau paid and exited the store, the worker behind the counter burst into a critique of the woman’s appearance. I couldn’t help but to feel as though my stare had encouraged the conversation that followed.

“She over did it with the surgeries. That did NOT look good. I bet she was pretty before all that, but she CAN’T think that looks good, you know?”

Not wanting to encourage this harsh critique of another woman’s appearance, I just waited for my order, trying not to speak. The worker continued mumbling about this woman’s appearance, until she handed me my sandwich. I left the shop, fearing this conversation would continue and I opted to sit outside where a few others were sitting.

Not long after I found a seat, I overheard hushed whispers, again, about this woman.

“What do you think the story there is?”
“I bet she’s a mail order bride, and he is the sugar daddy paying for her to be plastic.” I heard exchanged.

The people sitting next to me looked over at me, smiling with a knowing look as though I was in on the joke too. In that moment, I felt the internal struggle that most woman feel daily: do I speak my mind, or should I be polite?

I didn’t think it was fair to speak about a woman that way. I have no idea what she has been through, and I don’t need to, because she doesn’t need my approval.

I can’t complain about the way the media criticizes women’s bodies, then do the exact same thing. If I don’t want to be judged by my looks, I can’t judge others by their looks. I have gained a ton of weight since I had a baby, and I worry all the time that people are whispering about my body in a similar manner.

We can’t change the media, but we can change the way we treat others around us. Instead of doing the easy thing and participating in the critique of others, I challenge you to join me in asking them why it matters. This is something I have been consciously doing, and it seems to really put perspective on the situation.Whether it is speaking up for a friend, or just someone on social media, I believe being vocal is the only way we can change this.

We, as women, are in this together. We can’t ask for the media to stop nitpicking our appearances, outlining perfectly normal “flaws”, and telling us what is and isn’t beautiful, then do exactly that to our neighbor.

The Joke I Wasn't In On

  1. Mike says:

    I agree… I wish we lived in a world where people so felt beautiful that the didn’t want unnecessary plastic surgery.

  2. Anastasia Noll says:

    Bravo! Y’all, after all, does mean “all”. And who knows why people choose to have plastic surgery? She could have been in an accident, she could have been teased about her looks. She could just feel prettier that way!

  3. Kyrsten says:

    Yes! Whether or not someone chooses to have plastic surgery shouldn’t be of anyone else’s concern – bodies are bodies are bodies and criticising someone for looks’s sake shouldn’t be something that people are naturally drawn to doing. I hope that one day, the media will.more accurately portray women as they are in the more average state, and/but I also wish that looks weren’t so easily gossiped about, regardless of what’s being critiqued – whether the overly skinny or the person who gained 30 lbs after her 3rd kid (guilty!). I love this post and I’m so glad I was able to meet you, Megan!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Cincinnati Wedding Photographer | Lexington Wedding Photographer | Louisville Wedding Photographer | Find the best Cincinnati Wedding Photographer | © 2019 Megan Noll

instagram

@megannollphotography

about

the Experience 

for photographers

for brides

blog

contact

portfolio

Megan Noll Photography strives to create safe & inclusive environments that celebrate diversity. We enthusiastically welcome all races, abilities, ethnicities, backgrounds, orientations & identities.