I was looking over some pictures of celebrities with crooked teeth wondering how they made it in Hollywood with a messed up grill. Back when televised entertainment was new, men and women did not have perfect teeth. So what happened to being all natural and having people look at your work rather then your teeth. When did the world become so "perfect teeth" crazy? Is it really better?

I wonder because I also have what is insensitively called a "snaggletooth" and sure I always thought about having perfect teeth so I could fit in or feel pretty like the rest of the girls.  Actually at one point it really came down to feeling like I could never make it in the world unless I had perfect teeth.

When I was kid my dad told me that it would be better for me to leave my smile the way it is... he said, it will keep you humble.  Now that is a very dad like thing to say.  So again today I am feeling self conscious about my smile because when I take a picture all I can see is the tooth staring strait at me and I will take and delete 100 pictures before I find one where the angle is just right to hide my tooth.

To make myself feel better about being imperfect I look at celebraties who also have crooked teeth... Tom Cruise, Katherine Heigle, Kirsten Dunst and Jewel.  I look at them and I think they look beautiful just the way they are, they don't need to get their teeth perfectly straight to be beautiful. 

Then I came across Kirsten Dunst.  I think she has a really cute smile and I usually looked to her when trying to make myself feel better because it most resembles my own snagglehood. But then one day I see she has got perfect teeth.  Examining both the pictures I think she looks better with the snaggle tooth then perfect teeth.  It took away her cuteness and along with it, her personality. 

Thank god for Jewel though. She didn't give into being perfect. I couldn't imagine her looking the same without her famous tooth. When I look at her I think that her imperfections are perfect and she wouldn't look nor feel like the same humble Jewel that people have come to love... not for her outer beauty but for her inner beauty and of course that crazy singin' voice.

I must say I do respect her a lot for not changing herself to fit the profile. It makes me feel good about the decision to not get my teeth fixed. I know that people will still look at it and children love to point it out. *eye roll* and at times I will still feel camera shy.

So maybe my dad and my friends were right all along about not getting my teeth fixed. My friends said that it gives me character and that was something I took as... "we don't want to tell you your teeth look horrendous". So looking back on these pictures I can totally understand what they mean now.