Owen Meany Beauty Standards Essay
Beauty Standards is the Nation's Illness
In John Irving's “A Prayer For Owen Meany”, the raw heart behind one struggling with acceptance due to appearance is demonstrated . Owen Meany is a touching young man who is very intelligent yet extremely judged due to his appearance. Owen is unique because he breaks beauty standards and is completely comfortable in his own skin. Many people in modern society struggle with appearance and acceptance which is often the root of most eating disorders, depression, and body issues. The beauty industry has such a grip on society that most people find themselves wanting to be taller, skinnier, tanner, or blonder, all while claiming to be comfortable in their own skin. People have fallen into the trap that …show more content…
The entire Meany family has the tendency to be unaffected by beauty standards, if Owen wants to do something he does it despite his size and appearance. John Irving vividly describes Owen, through another character writing that “He was mortally cute; he had a furry animal attractiveness—except for the nakedness of his nearly transparent ears, and the rodent like way they protruded from his sharp face. My grandmother said that Owen resembled an embryonic fox. When touching Owen, one avoided his ears; they looked as if they would be cold to the touch.” (irving 151) . Owen in today's society would not be considered attractive. He was oddly small and his complexion was almost transparent, yet that never stopped him. He had some incredible drive behind him that allowed him to get jobs that were beyond what other judged him to be capable of. “ He was the color of a gravestone: light was both absorbed and reflected by his skin, as with a pearl, so that he appeared translucent at times-especially at his temples, where his blue veins showed through his skin.” Owen skin tone makes him appear to be fragile with thin skin, yet he works successfully in a rock mine with other healthy full grown men, where the conditions are not pleasant and the work is strenuous. Owen pushed the boundaries of beauty standards never being slowed by discrimination. He even enlisted and thrived as a
In John Irving's “A Prayer For Owen Meany”, the raw heart behind one struggling with acceptance due to appearance is demonstrated . Owen Meany is a touching young man who is very intelligent yet extremely judged due to his appearance. Owen is unique because he breaks beauty standards and is completely comfortable in his own skin. Many people in modern society struggle with appearance and acceptance which is often the root of most eating disorders, depression, and body issues. The beauty industry has such a grip on society that most people find themselves wanting to be taller, skinnier, tanner, or blonder, all while claiming to be comfortable in their own skin. People have fallen into the trap that …show more content…
The entire Meany family has the tendency to be unaffected by beauty standards, if Owen wants to do something he does it despite his size and appearance. John Irving vividly describes Owen, through another character writing that “He was mortally cute; he had a furry animal attractiveness—except for the nakedness of his nearly transparent ears, and the rodent like way they protruded from his sharp face. My grandmother said that Owen resembled an embryonic fox. When touching Owen, one avoided his ears; they looked as if they would be cold to the touch.” (irving 151) . Owen in today's society would not be considered attractive. He was oddly small and his complexion was almost transparent, yet that never stopped him. He had some incredible drive behind him that allowed him to get jobs that were beyond what other judged him to be capable of. “ He was the color of a gravestone: light was both absorbed and reflected by his skin, as with a pearl, so that he appeared translucent at times-especially at his temples, where his blue veins showed through his skin.” Owen skin tone makes him appear to be fragile with thin skin, yet he works successfully in a rock mine with other healthy full grown men, where the conditions are not pleasant and the work is strenuous. Owen pushed the boundaries of beauty standards never being slowed by discrimination. He even enlisted and thrived as a