The Rebirth Personas Of Public

The Renaissance, which began in the fourteenth century, served as a pivotal moment in European history, allowing for a cultural, artistic, political, and economic “rebirth.” Such a movement emphasized perfectionism and created dozens of infamous paintings such as Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Although the Renaissance took place roughly 720 years ago, society has retained its emphasis on perfectionism through its consistent evolution, based on the accepted standards during a specific period in time.

Whether it be consciously or subconsciously, we are in constant pursuit of excellence, or at least to achieve the image that society has deemed “perfect” for the time being. Growing up during the rise of social media, we stared at hundreds of images a day from models and celebrities who, the majority of the time, uploaded edited photos of themselves to conform to society’s standards, showing us that this was the way to be accepted. So, as the years went on and we grew up to emulate these hoaxes, perfection became easily attainable, forcing society to change its definition—imperfect perfectionism.

Botticelli’s Birth of Venus is another argued masterpiece born during the Renaissance. As a symbol of love and beauty, the body of Venus has been our aspiration for centuries. However, many critics claim that the proportions of Venus, such as her elongated neck, torso, and pose, are realistically impossible. So, why does society constantly emphasize the ideal of something physically impossible? The answer is simple, we allow it to.

With imperfect perfectionism, we struggle to make the distinction between reality and fantasy. To combat this, we post content on social media under the false impression that the photos we chose genuinely highlight our reality. Yet, we overthink those photos before and even after posting. We question whether or not the sunset should have been on the second or third slide, whether the lighting is too bright or too dark, and if these photos will make us seem authentic and genuine, that we are trying but not trying too hard. So, as we regularly offer up the version of ourselves that we want to be perceived by society, we expand the definition of perfection and allow it to maintain its power over us.