Travel & Hotspots

Marie-Claire in Malibu

Sorry, but besides all the amazing things I'm experiencing here in Malibu, I need to complain for a moment. May I? Okay. I see all these photos and stories online about famous stars like Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Gigi and Bella Hadid, and many more people who all live here. It's one thing to see them daily in the media or on the street, but another to hear many stories about them from people who know them up close.

There has been a lot of discussion (and still is) about Photoshop in magazines and the reality that is made to look better than it is. We all became insecure from that and even dared not to wear our bikinis in public anymore. But in Malibu, it goes a step further. There is no secret here about the number of surgeries that the Jenners and Kardashians have undergone to look the way they do today. That is their problem, but in the magazines, they are portrayed as natural beauties, while... Well, just Google any random ‘before and after’. Not to mention the Hadid sisters, who largely owe their careers to their fortunate background and the desire to become top models.

”I am unconsciously reminded of all my imperfections and suddenly have problems with that.”

Apparently, fashion giants are not averse to making a lot of money in exchange for a girl who wants to open or close a show. The fact that I'm sharing these rumors with you probably won't make me popular, but I need to get it off my chest. Because how honest is the image we have of ourselves in the face of the fashion and beauty industry? I am unconsciously reminded of all my imperfections and suddenly have problems with that. I don't want Botox or surgery. I just want to be myself, but it is made very difficult for me by the image that the media presents that I should have of myself. And then I'm almost forty. I have a daughter who will grow up with this. How is she supposed to develop her self-image? I worry, but at the same time, I think: let me be her example. Enjoying a plate of pasta in the sun with wrinkles. Beauty comes from within. Be proud and happy with who you are and enjoy. For God's sake.