The beauty of subtle imperfections

Vintage photo c1950s from the collection of Allan J. Delay*

Page 4 of The Importance of Being Imperfect

"Suppose that a woman of our day [context 1961] desiring to be socially perfect were to be dropped into medieval western Europe. She would at once have to shave her head back to the center of the crown, in conforming to a custom of those days which ultimately was to give us our expression "highbrow". On the street this unhappy perfectionist would have to get rid of her shopper's stare. Unless she fixed her eyes on a spot of ground two rods ahead of her...in any case she could be considered socially suspect for having raised her eyes at all.

Since all these requirements might be offensive to our modern woman, let us shift her forward in time to see what happens to her in the late seventeenth century in England. Here, as one of the intelligent ladies about town she must give evidence that she has a mind. Preferably she should be brunette, carry a book, exhibit easy knowledge of its contents, never give an inch in debate with men, and in fact dangle them over the coals of her wit. Perfect behavior then called for women to be clever and incisive. But suppose, once our adaptable friend had read the book, adopted the incisiveness, and taken relish in her new mental freedom, we plucked her out of time once more and placed her in the middle of eighteenth-century England. Now she would be truly out of place. Women in this century of sentimentality were supposed to be blond, blue-eyed, weep frequently, exhibit fluttery bewilderment and lovable stupidity when confronted with books and ideas. Above all, they were supposed to look into the great man's eyes and say, "How True!" to whatever he said. Surely now, tired of her quest for the perfect, she would have to sit down and concede that what seems perfect in one century turns out to be perfectly awful in the next"

I quote this book because I find its title intriguing....it encourages me to look at the world in a new light. To be open, honest & to enjoy the subtle imperfections...

The definition of perfectionism for those completely unfamiliar...Perfectionism: [n] A propensity for being displeased with anything that is not perfect or does not meet extremely high standards. (according to dictionary.com)
More to come from this book....