Everybody has their own personal dictionary of what words mean to them. “Perfection” means something different to every single person. The drive to get better is part of human nature. To improve our skills and culture in order to maximize the benefits of what’s possible for us. But there is variation in what people are willing to do to reach their definition of perfection. Can we reach too far in our goal of improving, or get so focused on growth that we lose sight of morals and begin to expect perfection so much that we cause the suffering of others? Although much societal growth can come from the struggle for perfection, when the definition of perfection is corrupt, it can be taken too far and go off the rails, causing perfection to overtake compassion and become a tool to control others. 

Let’s begin with the social Darwinism of the 20th century, which is a classic example of the desire for “perfection” turning into hatred for others. In the beginning of the 20th century, Germany in particular began simmering with frustration against non-Germans as the nationalist movements rose, or the idea that each nation should be united by people of the same ethnicity, language, culture, etc. This led to a very negative view of who they perceived as outsiders and they turned to social Darwinism, also known as eugenics, to justify acts of hate against those who they deemed as outsiders. This is the idea that humanity must be “filtered” to remove what was deemed negative qualities, and the positive traits must reproduce in order to achieve a “perfect” population of humans. Germans would describe perfection as those with typical white features, and those who did not carry those traits were deemed as less and began having their rights restricted, such as the Jewish and black populations being arrested and prohibited from certain professions. We can now recognize that this definition of “perfect” that the Germans created was morally and objectively wrong, but to them it was the defining force that led them to commit ultimately multiple crimes against humanity. They knew what their “perfect” human looked like—blond hair, blue eyes, fair skin—and all those who didn’t fit into that definition became less than human, a sub race that was not deserving of employment, reproduction, or even life. The motivated hatred of Nazi Germany clearly demonstrates how striving for perfection can be used for despicable crimes.

Shifting more to a focus on control rather than extermination, women in modern society are held to a standard of perfection in beauty in a way that allows men to retain their upper hand in societal power. Narratives in the media pushing for women to look perfect through advertisements for products for looking thinner is something in particular that is a major power play against women. The eating disorder culture of the 2000s, with magazines representing only those with a body type of being stick thin, which was how perfection was defined for women at the time (and still today, although beauty standards have changed to an extent), was a way to keep women weak and subordinate. They become stuck in the mouse trap with a sole focus on being physically desirable instead of other important virtues in life or other ambitions, and the consequences can be deadly. Or rather, they became convinced that creating a better life for themselves entails striving for the perfect body, or the perfect skin, or the perfect hair. Women have been both directly and indirectly told by society that beauty means perfection, and without it life becomes much harder for you. This extreme emphasis on being perfect effectively maintains the patriarchy as women are held to impossible standards.

In spite of all this, perfection can be used for good, as seen in the perfectionism movement of the 1800s that was not used for control, but rather to better lives across the United States. Previously, people had thought that the “ills” of society were incurable, such as mental health crises or lack of education or the prominence of racism. When the idea of perfectionism emerged due a rise in intellectualism, people now believed that these societal ills could be cured, and that society could be infinitely improved. It kickstarted a drastic reform in education, asylums, orphanages, and the increased popularity of the abolition and feminist movements. However, this drive for perfection was still rooted in some level of hate, as seeing the uneducated and disabled as “ills of society” is still morally wrong, although it led to improvement in quality of life for these people. The idea that America must be cured of its imperfections, and the implication that these imperfections are people is inherently hurtful to a degree. 

So what it really comes down to is how perfection is defined, and whether or not it is used as an elixir to better people’s lives or a poison to degrade or even exterminate them. It’s important to understand the implications behind our ideas of perfection, and how it will affect others’ lives. Striving for growth is important, but not at the cost of dehumanizing others. Find a way to work towards progress in a way that benefits people, not tears them apart.