I normally save my thoughts for my overall season review. However I thought on episodes where I have too much to say I should write individual blog posts. Otherwise I have too much to say for my overall review and it ends up being this super long post.

So Abby is bullied because she has terrible acne. She’s called names and her mom tries to help her out by giving her a kryptonite infused cosmetic surgery so that she doesn’t have to suffer anymore. She just wanted to help her daughter. Right?

But why did she have to resort to cosmetic surgery Smallville style? She could have gotten her a dermatologist. But then as the episode progressed it became clear that she suffered from self esteem issues. She had to work to be “beautiful” and wanted her daughter to have what she had but with less effort.

She also had a bone to pick with people who she considered “beautiful” because she figured they had life too easy. Really it was like extreme jealousy and envy with crazy mixed in.

Abby’s procedure had side effects, whoever she kissed would see their face and think they were ugly, it looked like their face was burning and they would be like “Oh no my face!”

It got me thinking. How vain are they? I get it, our face is the first thing people see. It’s important. But is it that important to warrant a mental breakdown? Plus that footballer who was interested in Abby, he was only interested because she had gotten “hot”. He was vain as hell, he didn’t care about her personality or her as a person and yet she still goes with him like why? I was with her mom on that one, it was hard to feel sorry for him. At least he doesn’t die like most characters on Smallville.

I was surprised when Lana suffered the same fate. Or was I? Let’s face it, she’s gorgeous and on the show most people notice Lana for her looks and her girl-next-door qualities. At the end of the episode she asks Jason the same question I was thinking, did he like her for her looks or for who she was? He liked her for who she was but again it got me thinking.

Do we value beauty too much? Or is it just a high school thing? It’s good to look presentable and everything but to dismiss someone or to bully someone just because they don’t fit the criteria of what you consider beautiful is not fair. No, it’s not right.

I, for one, am sick of it. Besides I’m a strong believer in “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. Someone who you find ugly someone will find beautiful. There is someone for everyone and if you don’t believe that you probably haven’t met that person. Or you didn’t notice when you did.

(Or you’re vain as hell.)

I have so many friends who are beautiful inside and out and yet they don’t see it. They honestly think they’re ugly and I’m like “is your mirror broken?” It’s good to be humble but don’t take it too far. Even I can admit I look good, I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

But it did take growing up for me to see that. I still have my off days but I know I’m not ugly. I may not be Hollywood quality but I’m not ugly.

I wish we all had that basic level of self esteem. But in this world with the people we see on TV and the message magazines put out there I can understand why people have low self esteem.

It’s troubling and there is more to people than looks. I have met people who I didn’t think anything of at first and then I got to know them and they got more and more beautiful because of their personality. I have also met people who were hot and yet the more I knew them the less I thought that because their personality stunk. Roald Dahl said something along those lines in one of his books.

I think I’ve made my point. The episode made me think and I hope it made those who watched it think as well. I like that Smallville continually tackles such issues and is self aware. It’s refreshing.

Ps: This happens is season 4, in case you were wondering.