Dying to Stand Out

How the drive to matter is behind the LGBT crisis.

I stumbled upon an article titled, “26-Year-Old Spent $50K To Look Like A Genderless Alien”. A variety of plastic surgeries have been performed on this man to make him look inhuman, at his request. It’s an unbelievably tragic tale of a man who cannot accept who he is, and will spare no expense to engage in a type of self-erasure. Of course, that’s not how the reporter covered the story. In our modern age of celebrating anybody who deviates from traditional standards of acceptability, he is being encouraged in his self-destruction.

Here is the full list of his attempts to change himself:

• 5 facial peels

• 20 cryo facial freezing

• 12 cheek fillers

• 5 Botox sessions

• 2 brow fillers

• 35 face and whole body laser treatment

• 15 lip fillers

• 5 nose jobs

• 10 fillers for wrinkles

• 1 under-eye Botox

You might ask how that’s going to age, but really, his current form doesn’t exactly look fetching. His primary goal has been to look different, from himself, and from everybody else.

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Moreover, he’s made it into something of a career. Being deviant is so popular now that he can make a living as a model, makeup artist, and skincare therapist, showcasing his current aesthetic as a gold standard.

“When people ask me how I'd label myself, I tell them an 'extra-terrestrial, hot mess, self-obsessed.'”

One might argue that at least there is self-awareness in that statement. His schtick is a type of self-obsession, but it’s not just regular, old-fashioned vanity. That would generally involve surgeries intended to make a person look better. We’ve seen old-fashioned vanity most reliably expressed by rich Hollywood celebrities who can’t bear to see themselves age.

Instead, this is the same kind of self-obsession that goes in tandem with despair. Those mired in depression fail to see outward. They can no longer see past their own pain. It’s why depression becomes such a trap, for people no longer wish to associate with others, and their isolation causes an immersion in nothing but their own trials. This man wants to be seen, and he doesn’t feel as if others see his pain. Such is the case with people that have a variety of depressive-based mental illnesses. At least with those illnesses, we recognize them for what they are, and we try to help.

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Happiness isn’t exactly the vibe that he gives off.

There are actually two versions of the hitherto described article, under the same headline, by the same author. One is at MSN, the other at Your Tango. The only difference between the two articles is the pronouns used for him. One of the articles refers to him as “she”. Despite claiming to seek genderlessness, he wants to be referred to using female pronouns. The consistent desire is to be the opposite of how he was made.

The author of the piece boldly states:

“And she also seems pretty comfortable being who she is, no matter who is looking.”

Except, he’s really not, is he? He’s so uncomfortable in his own skin, that which he was given, that he has turned to mutilation and disfigurement. The evidence supports the reverse conclusion: that he only finds comfort in being anything other than what he is. If the desire was to affirm him, then doing so morally would involve confirming his inherent nature — that he is a man who was made in the image and likeness of God, worthy of dignity and respect. His attempts for modification via mutilation represent an assault on those things, and should not be encouraged.

“Over the years, I've realized I'm not gay, bi, trans, or any of these things, I just want to be me.”

And there it is. He wants to be acknowledged for being completely different from everybody else. Why? Because in his words, he’s self-obsessed. His ego can't stand likeness with the rest of humanity. This is an attempt to separate his own struggles, which I don’t doubt he has, from those that are part of every human life.

This awful case provides a highlight of the LGBT movement, especially in its modern form. Why are we told that there are suddenly unlimited genders? Because every member of that community desperately wants to be special. They want unique acknowledgment. They crave attention. Hence, they dress up in ridiculous and obscene ways, speak profanely, seek special treatment from the law, show up where they are most likely to cause controversy (e.g. where children are), and otherwise impose themselves upon public consciousness. Largely, they are applauded for it.

Recall, however, that this man is only 26 years old. Most of his life is in the future. He has disfigured himself to be barely recognizable as human. Despite it all, he is a man. He will always be so. The people who encourage him to implode and to indulge his mental struggles are doing him a profound disservice. They congratulate his various methods of self-destruction for the sake of being lauded themselves, in a massive circle of prideful immolation. Such is our modern society.