Scars: A characteristic of uniqueness or an affront to the aesthetic models of our era?
In an era where an archetypal model of flawless beauty is promoted with ever-more persistence, and where a feeling of invisible guilt is often cultivated against anyone diverging from the imposed standards of beauty, along with now omnipresent social media serving as unofficial judges of our daily lives, there are, nevertheless, others who prove themselves courageous and declare that diversity is an innate characteristic of normal people; that imperfection is an indisputable characteristic of God’s most perfect creation – the human being.
People with scars – either from birth or after an operation, an accident or chronic illness – are often in a very difficult position. These people must manage an involuntary and often painful change in their appearance, which essentially affects their whole life. On the other hand, they often face rejection or disapproval in their social or professional environment. It should also be noted that women are the ones who mostly face whatever disapproval or rejection in their professional and social environment in such cases.
Fortunately, there’s also a strong counterargument, according to which scars, no matter how they were caused, are an integral feature of an individual, with the people that bear them refusing to cover up or to remove them with cosmetic procedures. “Scars denote our uniqueness; we’re recognized by these and not forgotten,” according to Dr Kalliopi Athanassiadi, a thoracic surgeon at Athens’ Evangelismos Hospital. Dr Athanassiadi herself bears visible scars on her face from a childhood accident, when a school bus she was riding in caught on fire. “We should move away from stereotypes, especially those that want women to be aesthetically perfect; we should say that everyone has their own personality; we should cultivate our talents and emancipate, as much as possible, our emotions,” she says. Every year, in fact, Dr Athanassiadi “commemorates” the anniversary of her accident, while stressing that we become accepted through our own actions and behavior.
“There are other cases, of course, where scars are suffered in adulthood, forever changing one’s daily lives. Specifically, in cases where scars are the result of chronic diseases and cancer treatments, they create another problem that requires management; one tacked on to the already grave problems caused by the actual disease. Similarly, there are counselors and support centers for people who experience such conditions, with the goal being to persuade those scarred that their marks can be a point of reference, something that will remind them of a tribulation that they have overcome; one which reminds them of how everyday life is so important, what we take for granted,” according to Dr Nikos Metaxotos, president of the nonprofit organization I Live for Me. The latter NGO supports people with cancer and chronic diseases.
It’s certainly not something easy, but it’s worth the effort, and it’s worth the effort for affected individuals to add their voice to initiatives that have a similar purpose. Softening Scars is a charitable movement that aims to raise awareness about the mental and physical scars that afflict women. Facilitating the healing of such scars means encouraging women to accept, embrace and love themselves by displaying and marketing multimedia artworks as part of a fundraising initiative. The initiative aims to liberate women from the confines of societal expectations and stereotypes of beauty, which can be detrimental to their mental well-being. Inspired by her own life experiences, namely, suffering a large scar on her leg from an accident, Marina relates her personal story and dares to speak up, simultaneously amplifying the voices of those who suffer in solitude. She also explains that the name “Softening Scars” is not intended to promote any sort of physical or mental change, or to “fix” any image, but rather it originates from a healing process inspired by the very name – “softening” the impact scars may have on both physical and mental well-being.
There’s no right or wrong in this approach, there’s is no good or bad approach in the personal journey of anyone with physical or mental scars. The important notion is for the individual to recognize the pain caused by this situation, to accept the existence of scars on one’s body; to integrate these images in one’s daily life and, as Dr Metaxotos underlines, “to consider them as a victory medal, the result of a struggle they’ve endured and emerged from victorious, one way or another.”
Marina Ghika, initiator of “Softening Scars” initiative, undergraduate student at Pratt
Institute in New York
