Most of the beauty products marketed to women (and, more recently, men) seem to be full of empty promises. I can’t speak about every beauty product out there in one sweeping remark but I’d bet that most them are unnecessary lies.

It’s about time that men finally get a piece of that pie, though it’d be best for no one to have to receive messages selling us solutions to help us be what we “should” be. Moreover, solutions that don’t even work. Some scar creams do work, at least anecdotally. I’ve used cocoa butter that really helped some scars fade; I can’t seem to find how anecdotal or verifiable that is. I can also see how some acne medications work, at least in some cases. As far as many other marketed products, I can’t help but think it’s mostly just a void money-maker.

As far as ageing creams go, hydrating is probably useful for skin. I can see how general lotion may help skin, at least make it feel better. To me, where I fist started to call bullshit is the differentiation between eye creams and face creams. Sure, your feet might need a thicker cream whereas a light lotion would feel better on your face. But why is an eye cream specifically for eyes? No one has been able to answer this. From those pushing a certain product just say to “buy it” or “use it” without ever telling me why. How is this string of ingredients I don’t understand better than that string?

Exfoliating helps slough off dead skin cells. I get that. Whenever I buy a face wash, I look for salicylic acid, as I’ve found it to work wonders on blackheads. Also, not living in humid weather also helps me, though I’ve heard those with dry skin prefer the moisture in the air for their skin. I also have many other reasons for despising humidity but I don’t need to go into those now. :P

Diet pills are the funniest. I actually tried many different types in college. Even with diet and regular exercise, none of them worked. Though, my workouts are always a bit half-assed. When a diet pill’s claim says they must be used with diet and exercise, how is one to know if it’s the diet pill that worked or just the diet and exercise? Other than speeding up your system (and metabolism), I can’t see any of them working. Unless it’s coke or speed, I can’t see them being that effective. And as soon as a drug is known to be effective, it’s scheduled/banned due to other dangerous side effects (like ephedra).

There’s some skepticism in health products (which overlap) but not much information that’s easy to find concerning the science in beauty products. They often make nonsensical claims, saying bizarre things that are sometimes laughable. Using interesting graphics, marketers make them seem just as cool as filmmakers make hacking or even going online (many years ago) look cool in movies. Maybe this is one reason to account for the imbalance of women in skepticism. However, I don’t see as sharp of an imbalance as others do, there is some. Maybe occasionally focusing on some of the typical claims made to women is a place to start?

The feeling of awed wonder that science can give us is one of the highest experiences of which the human psyche is capable. It is a deep aesthetic passion to rank with the finest that music and poetry can deliver. It is truly one of the things that make life worth living and it does so, if anything, more effectively if it convinces us that the time we have for living is quite finite.

Richard Dawkins

EDIT: Using this quote, I created a slightly different version of this poster that is now for sale.

I’m not really here to debate creationism, though it may seem so. My main goal is to shed light on why evolution rocks all socks.

Creationism directly implies you must accept an entire religious doctrine in addition to a simple theory on the origin of life. Science makes no claims on what your beliefs may or may not be outside the realm of what is proven in a particular instance.

Creationism is not a pleasant thought
It does not make me feel good or happy in the slightest. I find no passion, no honesty, no purpose is such drivel. It assumes that things are as they are and never have changed. How boring! It removes all responsibility from our actions, our free will, as well as nature’s will. It devalues human life and the scientific method (which is everything). If I’m here solely as God placed me and he watches and knows all, what’s the point? Creationism seriously depresses me. It gives no hope for the future, nor a reason to aspire. What creationists refer to as their “free will” is the illusion of free will, much like living in a gated community gives you the illusion of safety. Although it may work at times, a comforting notion will never turn into a truthful one.

First Lesson
I recall my father sitting me down to tell me all about evolution; sadly my teachers never mentioned it (or either “theory”) much. He oversimplified the man-came-from-monkeys spiel a bit, but he was just trying to get his point across. One of his all-time favorite movies is Inherit the Wind, which he believes is a very important movie to see, as do I. Unfortunately, history repeats itself (in that sense).

A Collection of Facts
I didn’t think about evolution much throughout high school and college; I just knew it to be a scientific theory that had been tested and retested. (A scientific theory, by the way, holds more weight than a fact alone – like germ theory – and is not to be confused with the casual use of the term “theory”.)

That is until Bush. I can’t recall the specific moment, but sometime around the address stating creationism should be taught alongside evolution, I began a lengthy cringe. Being somewhat aware of creationism, I had not actually known anyone who claimed to believe in it. I grew up in a reform Jewish community and attended secular public schools. (College – University of Miami – is “private”, but only due to exorbitant costs!) I honestly never heard anyone speaking seriously about creationism until about the Bush era (in my early-mid 20′s). And all of a sudden, as it seemed to me, it was everywhere. I though we already shot this non-theory down in 1926. Oh yeah, they rebranded (to Intelligent Design).

Purpose-Driven Life
Perhaps you can call me the un-creationist. I don’t think I’m quite anti-, for I’m not anti-creationists all together. It’s just the very notion of it that saddens me. Evolution gives human life true purpose. We have come from somewhere and are going somewhere. We have an innate connection with all plant and animal life that envelops us. Inhales and exhales us. We are all connected in a almost a spiritual sort of way, for lack of a better term. It’s the bigger picture that we are all a part, the spectacular journey that guides us.

Our livelihood is aided by the evolution of human traits such as morals. Being a good person solely because of where you think you’ll go when you die, is not morality. That’s just sucking up, like a God’s Pet. Remember how being a teacher’s pet does not (or at least should not) get you all A’s through school, but actually studying, doing well on tests, and positively contributing to discussions will? A true set of morals comes from being faced with a decision, weighing out the possible consequences, and potentially researching for more resources on the topic/situation. Whether one makes a “good” or “bad” decision will help him/her learn, evolve, and grow as to not make the bad decisions again, while continuing with the good ones.

The world is beautiful, but there is also much pain. If a creator created conjoined twins, babies with no limbs, various other mutations, wars, etc is s/he worth praising? It feels wrong to me. If one’s parents did to them what God does to the world, then those parents would be swept up by Child Services immediately.

My life is full of purpose; I have true freedom and true free will. I can aspire to great heights without worrying if its in god’s plans. Or if s/he’ll approve. The beauty of nature and the universe flows through us, a current that never ceases, never spoils. I look out for myself (with the help of my hubby and other close loved ones). I take care of my own body and my own circumstances everyday. The notion of a “purpose-driven life” is currently an Evangelical Christian meme, but should it be?