Who are we trying to impress?

On Valentine's Day I coincidentally got seated across from John Mellencamp and his wife, a former Victoria Secret model. And as I sat there trying to pretend like I was listening to my boyfriend speak and not undressing the famous rock star with my eyes, I noticed his wife had a cute skirt on. It was leather with fringes and surely priced at well more than the balance in my checkbook. And then I decided it was that time -- you know, when the girl gets up and goes to the bathroom to "freshen up."\nHis wife got up at the same time, and as we walked back to the bathroom together, I said to her, "your skirt is really cute." She thanked me, and after a few awkward seconds we both slithered into the open stalls. I would have died if she would have responded "and that red dress is nice, too." But she didn't, so I felt inadequate to her. \nAnd then after my stupid "claim to fame," I realized that girls get dressed up to impress other girls. Have you ever seen a guy go up to another guy and say, "Dude, that sweatshirt is really cool. Where can I find one of those?"\nGirls, do we really think that guys know we spent $300 for a Kate Spade purse or $50 for Bebe T-shirt? What's the point of pretending like we're trying to get attention from guys when we're really getting more from the painted-up girl down the hall. I'm guilty of these same societal crimes, but I'm trying to change that. \nTwo summers ago I went to Honduras. Talk about an eye-opening experience. The people in Honduras literally live in huts. They grow what they eat, they wash their limited outfits in rivers and they don't have electricity in many parts of the country. They have very few tangible items, but those people get it.\nFamily is very important to them, and although they possess very little, they know what living is all about. They have the most natural beauty I've seen.\nIt's sad when the highlight of someone's day is trying out that new tanning place or stepping on a scale and discovering you're four pounds lighter than you were 15 hours ago. It's a shame that girls with naturally curly hair want it to be straight when those with stick-straight hair spend hours with a bottle of hair spray. \nI'm really tired of hearing the same redundant argument: "It's the media; it's the media." Well, hey, this is media, and I'm not telling you to lose 20 pounds and go on a shopping spree. I'm telling you to stop being so shallow and start considering who you are on the inside. The clothes you wear will not get you where you want to go. It's that person inside. Once you realize that, I think you'll discover a new level of contentment. \nPut the shopping sprees on hold, don't freak out if your foundation bottle is empty and if your hair is doing that stupid wave thing that you try so hard to fix, just let it be. Stop the madness.