Wisdom from Elton John

Photo Courtesy of Telegraph.UK

“And it seems to me you lived your life/ like a candle in the wind/ never know who to cling to/ when the rain set in/ your candle burned out long before/ your legend ever did” – Elton John.

The words above are lyrics from my favourite Elton John song, “Candle in the Wind.” He wrote this song in 1973 as a tribute to Marilyn Monroe and then rewrote the song in 1997 for the late Princess Diana. This song highlights the double-edged sword of celebrity life using the example of 1950s popular icon, Marilyn Monroe. What are the two edges of this sword? I will try to ex-plain this using Ms. Monroe and others.

The public constantly scrutinized Monroe’s body image throughout her stardom. She was approximately 5’5’’ and 118 pounds, according to a general Google search. Despite her petite figure, she was never thin enough for the beauty standards of the 1950s. This ever-present scrutiny led to her suicide in 1962. Celebrities are not the only people to face criticism regarding their body types. I had a friend in high school who was easily the most aesthetically beautiful girl in our year. Though she tried her hardest to please others and conform to our rigid standards of beauty, the pressure became too strong and she developed an eating disorder. She has since recovered and is doing very well. However, it was these horrify-ing standards that drove her into a very dark place.

Now let’s go back to John’s lyrics. As is implied, the flame of a candle is at the mercy of a strong, directionless wind. Celebrities and regular civilians are trapped in a system of judgement that constantly tells them they are not good enough. People, especially celebrities, will try to pretend that everything is okay and that life is perfect, which comprises one end of the sword I mentioned earlier; however, the other edge is not far down the blade. People feel that they are never good enough, and many feel that they have no one to talk to about this, or in John’s words, they do not know who to cling to.

Why do we place such an emphasis on aesthetic beauty? Some might point back to the theory of “survival of the fittest,” or best look-ing in this case. But clearly even the most fit do not necessarily survive. At what price must we all pay for beauty? My friend used her health as currency and Monroe, her life. Where do we draw the line? When does this end? Will this ever end?