Don't mind the gap!

Kate Moss. Naomi Campbell. Linda Evangelista. They are all beautiful women and each gained global notoriety from being the world's top supermodels. Kate Moss coined the term 'heroin chic', Campbell is arguably one of the most successful black models of all time whilst Linda Evangelista famously claimed that models "don't wake up for less than $10,000 a day." We know that supermodels come in different packages. Black/white. Teeny tiny/flawless curves. Girl next door/absolute diva. We may not necessarily like these women, but there's no denying that each one is gorgeous and has certainly made a mark on the fashion industry, despite their flaws and imperfections. So please excuse my disbelief when I logged onto Facebook the other day and saw the following status:

"Didn't realise that all you need to be a 'model' these days was have a massive gap between your front teeth that a dog could run through with a stick! Urgh."  

Maybe I took this revelation a bit too personally. You see I too am an owner of a diastema, albeit not a proud one. When I was younger, I used to be able to stick my tongue vertically through said gap, and although time has slowly bought my teeth together, there is no denying that my gap is still there. And no matter how many times my mum told me it was beautiful, or that "madonna has one" (as if that would make it acceptable), there was no changing my mind. I very rarely smile with my mouth open and I'm very self conscious when speaking with people that I don't know. All due to the tunnel that sits between my two front teeth.

So reading the above statement just reminded me of my insecurities. We associate models with being the epitome of perfection, so by doubting the credentials of these gap-toothed models, does the status insinuate that all those with gaps are especially bad looking? I thought about it, and the answer is undoubtably no. Having an imperfection just makes you stand from a crowd. Whilst some people may think it's something to turn their noses up at, there are so many people that find perfection in a flaw. Cindy Crawford stuck 2 fingers to all those who took the mick out of her 'coco pop' and went on to have a net worth of near to $100 million! And Lara Stone. Another fellow gapper who has attracted attention because of her tooth tunnel.  

Does the colour of ones skin make them more or less attractive? Hair? Eyes? So why does a small physical imperfection define you to be conventionally un-good looking? Although many have fought to fix their smiles (Zac Efron being one!), there are many who have embraced their gaps and used it to their advantage. And whilst I will never be comfortable with my mouth, and would love to fix it - much to the dismay of my mother - i took severe offence at the above status. We all have our own ideas of beauty. That's a given. But just because something doesn't fit in with yours, why broadcast this on Facebook? And so to the un named wanker who wrote this status, I would like to say a royal fuck you. We're stuck with our gaps, there's nothing we can do about it. So get over it, keep your statuses to yourself and "go get the London look."