The Reflection in the Mirror: When the "Inferiority Complex" of Modern Day America Meets The Bluest Eye

When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Obviously, no one is able to see what they really look like, because only flat mirrors will produce a true reflection, and due to even the slightest manufacturing errors, household mirrors are never perfectly flat. However, the reflection that is reciprocated when you look in the mirror is extremely close to how everyone else sees you. Even so, some people perceive their reflections in a mirror from minute to far fetched exaggerations of how their reflections appear. People who deal with anorexia or bulimia fall on the extreme and "far fetched" side of this spectrum, but on the opposite end of the spectrum, there are people who are consumed with the thoughts of an imperfect appearance. Where does this insecurity come from? There is no evidence that people are somehow born with insecurities of their appearance or behavior, so what continues to perpetuate this "condition" in today's society? For one, the media plays a monumental role in declaring what is perceived as "beautiful" and what is not through photoshopped photos of supermodels gracing magazine covers, and the idolization of  handsome or beautiful actors and actresses who appear to have it all. As a result, many people end up altering their identities and personalities to fit society's standards.

Barbie Dolls: Is this how we define beauty?

From an early age, young American girls are exposed to these "socially constructed ideas of 'beauty'" through Barbie Dolls. Barbie's perfect body shape, accentuated curves, beautiful complexion and blonde hair impress a certain idea of "beauty" upon the minds of children. An awareness of this dangerous impression on the minds of young girls has led to the manufacturing of different races of Barbie Dolls, and even a variety of Barbies characterized by respectable occupations, but ultimately, Barbie's constant state of "perfection" has left America with two questions: how do we define beauty, and what are the consequences of this definition? To this day, it seems as if America is bought into the "Barbie Doll" definition of beauty; however, the answer to the second question has become a controversial one. Many campaigns have originated as a result of the population's cry for change. The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty beginning in 2004 and continuing to the present day arose through an awareness that society's definition of beauty "had become limiting and unattainable". The destructive effects of this definition has left only 2% of women in the world claiming to feel beautiful and another 98% with a lack of confidence characterized by Alfred Adler's "Inferiority Complex". In short, this complex instigates a low self-esteem, which consists of feelings of "intense insecurity", or a fear of not measuring up. This sense of inferiority can be intensified to a degree in which a person believes that they can never compensate for the aspects that make them "imperfect" in comparison to society's standards of beauty, or it can be acted upon through exaggerated aggression in trying to overcome the complex.

Michael Jackson in 2005

Michael Jackson circa 1970s

Contrary to the popular belief that teenage boys are unaffected in the same way that girls are by the media with regards to the definition of beauty, 54% of girls and 41% of boys ages 13-19 are dissatisfied with their appearance. One of the most popular male icons of modern day America, Michael Jackson, severely augmented his physical appearance through plastic surgery and skin bleaching, leaving him almost unrecognizable. Although Michael claimed his reasons for surgery to be medically based, many people believe that there was an underlying "Racial Self-Loathing" of his "inferiority complex" that influenced his transformation. Although his dermatologist and others close to him supported his claim that he suffered from "vitiligo", which Michael claimed as his reason for turning his skin white, race cannot be completely separated from the equation. He went as far as getting rid of his wider nose, characteristic of many blacks, to choosing a skinnier, more defined nose, characteristic of many caucasians. Furthermore, a certain "Afro-denial" as the comic, The Boondocks illustrates, is demonstrated in Michael's longer, straighter, black hair circa 2005.

Similarly, Toni Morrison demonstrates the detrimental effects of socially constructed ideas of beauty and what is acceptable in The Bluest Eye. Many characters suffer from an "inferiority complex" that leaves them struggling with their own identities apparent through their questioning of and conformity to socially constructed ideas of beauty. 

In receiving the stereotypical gift of a "big, blue-eyed, Baby Doll" for Christmas, Claudia MacTeer begins to question the legitimacy of society's social construct of perfection and beauty. 

I had only one desire: to dismember it. To see of what it was made, to discover the dearness, to find the beauty, the desirability that had escaped me, but apparently only me. Adults, older girls, shops, magazines, newspapers, window signs-- all the world had agreed that a blue-eyed, yellow-haired, pink-skinned doll was what every girl child treasured (20).

Like the adolescents of today's society, Claudia's family is affected by the perpetuation of society's standards of   beauty. They bought Claudia the baby doll because they were enchanted by the idea that this baby doll represented a way for Claudia to fit in to society's definitive standards. However, Claudia's "inferiority complex" forced her to investigate the origins of the standard of perfection manifested through the doll. She claims the "desirability had escaped her" illustrating a consciousness of her worthlessness according to society's standards, and acknowledges the influence of the "shops, magazines, newspapers, and window signs" in formulating society's definition of beauty. However, as soon as she dismembers the doll, she discovers the fake, manufactured facade of this baby doll demonstrated through "a mere metal roundness", or the battery, that keeps the doll functioning (21). When Claudia looks in the "mirror" she sees a girl that refuses to believe the socially constructed ideas of beauty, but she also sees that any attempt to counter this stereotype would be futile because of her race. She is left with conflicted feelings and a state of mind that refuses to let her believe she is worth anything.

Contrarily, Geraldine deals with her "inferiority complex" in the opposite way. Geraldine conforms to the standards set by society because she is attempting to overcome her "inferiority complex" through compensating for it in the only way she knows how: bourgeois respectability. Geraldine's attempts are illustrated in Morrison's words characterizing Geraldine's lifestyle.

Here they learn the rest of the lesson...how to behave. the careful development of thrift, patience, high morals, and good manners. In short, how to get rid of the funkiness (83).

Geraldine longing to get rid of the so-called "funkiness" that represents her rich African American heritage, parallels the skepticism that surrounds the reasons for Michael Jackson's nose job and drastic skin color transformation. Geraldine's "racial self-loathing" consumes her, and she longs to conform to American society's definitions of beauty and what is acceptable in order to eradicate the "inferiority complex" from her life. However, despite her various attempts, she is unable to measure up to the unattainable standards of perfection and is left broken when she ends up "in the second row, her white blouse starched, and blue skirt almost purple from ironing" (82).