Growing up in an environment with a parent who negatively commented on my appearance led to my inevitable self-doubt. My constant swirling thoughts told me that anything less than flawless is not to be tolerated. For most of my life, I struggled with my appearance — specifically my teeth. They had a mind of their own. Friends would attempt to make a discrete comment, saying things like: Why don’t you just get braces? What about Invisalign? And I would think to myself, what an odd thing to say to someone. Perhaps it was genuine curiosity, but it came across as an unnecessary comment that only fueled my anxiety.
I began to overanalyze my teeth at every waking moment. I attempted to accept that I did not have straight teeth and that it was not a big deal. If supermodels of the ’90s could have gaps in their smiles, then mine wasn’t an issue, either. But those mantras never stuck; my anxiety would pull down her glasses and giggle, saying, You’re wrong.
A significant turning point in how I viewed my teeth was when I saw season three of “The White Lotus.” I was expecting whimsical guests and a lavish hotel in Thailand; what I didn’t expect was for the actor Aimee Lou Wood, who plays Chelsea, to turn my view of myself upside down (and eventually, right side up).
Upon watching, I quickly realized that Wood did not have perfect pearly whites, and she was strikingly ethereal in her beauty. Wood promptly became a fascination that I needed to explore and I quickly learned that she deemed herself “rebellious” in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter for not having work done to her teeth, such as getting veneers, like so many celebrities do. She was authentically herself — a disposition that seems lost in current culture today.
By witnessing this simple act of protest, the teeth shame that I had been battling my entire life was quickly evaporating. Wood’s expression of coming to terms with her “weirdness” and how that alone can be channeled into her superpower has made me re-analyze how I view my teeth.
The take is refreshing, especially when society takes any opportunity to comment on a woman’s appearance. Wood’s confidence about her teeth and who she is deeply struck a cord within me and has made me feel that my “imperfect smile” is perfect for me.
Lauren Levesque is a New York City freelance writer who covers fashion, beauty, culture, and, most importantly, a story or idea that captivates the impossible. After receiving her MA from New York University, she dove into the editorial industry, with bylines in L’Officiel USA and Fashion Magazine Italia.
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