From the moment she was born Cassandra Landry was the center of attention. Her entire family crowded around the crib , oohing and ahhing about her tiny blonde ringlets and big blue eyes. Her parents thought to themselves, like most parents do that they had the most beautiful baby in the world. They were forever taking pictures of her to show off to friends. And Cassie was a natural, she posed for every one with a big smile on her face.1
"Pretty" was Cassie's first word. After all, it was the one thing she was constantly hearing. "She is so pretty", "what a pretty little girl". And soon that word become synomonous with her own name. Cassie always had the nicest clothes, the most expensive toys and the best of everything. 2
She never really noticed anything or anyone who did not directly influence her life. It seemed as though she lived in her own world. And in Cassie land there was nothing but beauty.3
When she reached high school Cassie had a hard time adjusting. She was no longer the only beautiful girl in her class. There were a hundred Cassie clones walking down the halls, all the same shape and size. She had to try harder to stand out. After all that is what she wanted most in life, to be wanted.. to be admired.4
There was never a day that went by that Cassie didn't spend hours in the bathroom fixing her hair and makeup and picking out the perfect outfit, which seemed to get shorter and tighter every year. In fact, Cassie could never pass by a mirror without checking out her reflection. Which usually led to brushing her long blonde hair and applying a fresh coat of lipstick to her flawless painted lips.5
To say that Cassie was proud of her appearance would be an understatement. She was not happy with simply knowing that she was beautiful. She was constantly needing others to remind her of the fact. She surrounded herself with people who she considered average or even ugly, so that she would appear even more beautiful in comparison. 6
Followed constantly by her loyal fans, there was never a shortage of compliments. But soon the admiration of her faithful few was not enough. Cassie wanted the world to love her as much as she loved herself, and so she decided she would do whatever it took. 7
After a careful examination of her entire body in a full length mirror, Cassie decided that her god given body needed some slight adjustments. Her natural breasts were full but they could stand to be one cup size larger. Her skin was firm and her stomach flat, but she decided she could stand to lose a few pounds around her hips.8
Cassie would never be caught working out in a gym. Sweat was not beautiful. So she decided to have the fat surgically removed from her hips and thighs. Plastic surgery soon became an addiction. Her nose seemed to stick out too far , so she had that fixed. Then her lips didnt seem full enough, so she got collagen. Soon, her entire body changed. From natural beauty to plastic perfection..she didn't seem to recognize the person she saw in the mirror. But whoever she was, Cassie loved her.9
When she walked down the street, heads turned. There were cat calls and bitter comments by the less beautiful women. It was like heaven. It didnt take long for the work to come rolling in. Modeling jobs, followed by commercial offers, which led to movie deals. Cassie became the person she had always imagined herself to be. She shined brighter than any star. She was living the life she had always dreamed of as a child.10
But it did not last long. The stress on her body was taking effect. Cassie was overworked and under nourished. She went days without eating to fit into the tiny outfits she wore. And she never had time to sleep between modeling shoots, and parties. Cassie looked for a way to cope. The answer came in the form of cocaine. It gave her the energy she needed to deal with her life, and it helped to keep her figure slim. Cassie was on top of the world.11
She was so lucky. She was so blessed. Until one night the luck ran out and Cassie was violently pulled from her throne. Her cold heart stopped beating. The color drained from her perfectly tanned skin and the one thing that helped her achieve the life she had always dreamed of left her with nothing but a beautiful corpse.12
Author notes
"Vanity dies hard; in some obstinate cases it outlives the man. "
~Robert Louis Stevenson~
What did you think? Please comment!
Comments
1 - 11 of 11
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I love this, you did such a great job. This was very beautifully penned, you told the story very well. Cassie almost reminds me of Paris Hilton
. This is really deep and tells a lot about our society. I really enjoyed this. Thank you for the entry and keep up the good work.
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Thank you
. You have a lot of great entries in this contest. Good luck judging.
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Very good! I love the ending, like kellyohyeah said, the death by her own vanity seemed rather fitting in a way. Tragic, but fitting. I think this is a very creative write, giving us a look into the lives of the people we consider 'perfect'. Good job, and good luck!
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This is an amazing poem. I think that you could have used some of better wording but it was amazing how it is. It doesn't seem like she died of her own vanity but the vanity was forced upon her from the beginning. Like for mostly everyone including my self we were told we were pretty but if you are told that are beautiful and nothing but that then I think that is how vanity is started.
I like the ending. She is killed by her own vanity. I like how you didn't make her discovered that she was just ok and because of that died. I like it. its a damn good write! -
good
It's got a really awesome meaning, and I love the way it's written. I thought the end was a bit abrupt. Like all this stuff about Cassie being perfect, having everything she wanted, and then suddenly, it all gets 'wrapped up' in a tiny paragraph. I was kinda confused by the end, I'll admit. I think if you fix that, it would be awesome, because I really love the way you write. -
It was really good... beautiful and deep... well, I say deep because it made me think about society and the way everyone is desperate for acceptance so they are more or less willing to do whatever it takes to be part of something when all you really need is yourself....
-Joseph -
Wow, this is beautiful. Very descriptive and detailed. I liked the way it went through most of the stages of her life, but you didn't drag it on, it was quick but informative. And it has a very powerful meaning. Great stuff.
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thank you thank you!..I really wasnt sure about posting this because i didnt think that it was very good but i am glad that you liked it..thanks for always being supportive
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Wow wow wow!! This is an amazing write hun. Seems in this case life mimicks fiction, or vice versa. This in a sad way reminds me a tad bit of the Olsen twins. This was a great write and one that all narcasistic beauty queen wanna bes should read. Bravo to you. Could I applaud it a hundred times over I would. Once will have to do. Hugs!
Blessed be
~~Serenity~~
Billie Jean -
thanks for the comment. I wasnt sure how to end this story but it seemed fitting that she died from her own vanity.
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Heh. I watched an episode of 'Intimate Portrait' on Lifetime, that was exactly this - this happens, and it's pretty awful. Vanity is ugly, vanity does consume. The model on the tv show didn't die though, she kind of reformed herself or whatever, but a lot of people... do kind of end up washed up & dead. Insightful write.
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