Member-only story
The Day I Opened My Eyes
How my ‘Not Enough’ enslaved me:
Scrolling through Instagram, I was suddenly caught. I clicked on the video and my eyes got all swirly, just like in the cartoons.
The clip was of an attractive young woman picking a tiny little strip of I-don’t-know-what off a paper and placing it effortlessly on one eyelid. You could instantly see the difference. The eye with the eyelid tape on it was open and bright in contrast to the other, which was all but hidden under its hood.
Because I was paying attention to the video instead of what was really going on, I bought the product. I have hooded eyes. I need this. I’ll look so much better.
But who is this magical audience for whom I’m looking better? My wife of twenty years loves me the way I am now. A lot. She tells me so almost every day. My kids, my friends, my colleagues have never said, “Really. You should look into doing something about those eyelids.”
I wouldn’t even have known the term “hooded eyes” until I saw the video.
Welcome to the world of advertising. Of the Best. Of Luxury, of You Deserve, of Don’t Settle for Second Best. Welcome to the tyranny of Not enough.
