Would you believe me if I told you the concept of "glamour", something that is beautiful or desired, has an enormous effect on our lives whether we're conscious of it or not? Stop and think for a minute about all the people you saw today. Maybe you talked to some coworkers in the lunch room or classmates at college. What was your first reaction? Did you wonder how they were doing, or did you automatically look to see what they were wearing, if they had on make-up, and how they fixed their hair. How long did you spend looking in the mirror this morning before you left for the day? We are a culture preoccupied with appearing glamourous, even if we don't realize it.

The media bombards us daily with images of the perfect man and woman. Though men are not described as "glamourous" they are held to a high standard as well. Society automatically benefits those who are better looking, and have a high taste for fashion. So is it true that glamour is affecting our daily lives? Yes.

Money is an area where we're all feeling the pull of glamour on our wallets. People spend hundreds of dollars a month buying new clothes and make-up to keep up with the latest styles. All that money could be in savings for a college education, credit card payment, or to buy a new house someday, but we throw it away on keeping the perfect appearance. This the disastrous effect that glamour and fashion have on our world. More money and time than necessary are spent yearly to improve our looks and ensure we appear perfect.

Not only are we hurting ourselves, but we're also hurting others because we send out the message that people should be judged based on what they look like, and whose brand name they're wearing. It's sad to ignore someone that dresses differently than you, or to shun a group for their appearance. Yet it's a very common occurrence. People who don't have the money for fashion, or don't want to dress "appropriately" are left out. Self-esteem is crushed all because they were wearing the wrong shirt. No one judges a person based on their personality anymore. This is hard enough when it comes to making friends, but it has a horrible affect on the dating world. Men are told to only accept "beautiful" women, leaving the rest of us feeling worthless and settle for relationships that just aren't up to par.

How, then, can we stop glamour from affecting our daily lives? It's simple. Stop listening to all those media and social voices and start listening to your own. What do you want to look like? How can you show off your personality to the world around you instead of trying to fit it? Learn to trust your own fashion instincts, and don't judge others by what they wear. We all march to the beat of our own drum, even when it comes to glamour.