I see this constant struggle with imperfection. We look in the mirror and we automatically see flaws. Your teeth aren’t white enough, your skin isn’t perfect, you’re having a bad hair day, and the list can go on and on. When you see someone for the first time you automatically make a first impression about who they are just by the way that they look. “Our brains form first impressions by creating a composite of all the signals given off by a new experience. How good these impressions are at making accurate judgments of people depends on the observer and the person being observed” (Flora). We as humans have this absolute fear of being judged by others. As women, many strive to look beautiful for people, whether that’s for the guy your trying to impress or total and complete strangers. Right? We take time in front of the mirror to make sure we look presentable to go out of the house. Some spend a few minutes and some spend a few hours, but why is it that we try so hard to look better than when we wake up in the morning? I asked a close guy friend his opinion about being beautiful and whether or not you needed to have ‘the looks’. The first one commented, “I think that in order to be beautiful, you don’t necessarily have to be the most good looking person, but I think that naturally you must be somewhat attractive to be beautiful because we first notice beauty with our eyes, so looks are important” (Gus Williams). Generally we feel the need to appear attractive and beautiful to people, and I think the media is to blame. I know that’s a big accusation to blame the media but don’t you see it? The media is all around us and it sets up this body image that we have to fit in order to look perfect. Many girls and women would deny me saying that they don’t feel the pressure from the media however; there are some who agree and want to obtain the Victoria Secret Super Model perfection.
Since the Victoria Secret Fashion was just on television not too long ago, it was the show that made every women watching extremely self-conscious about their body image around our school. Now if you were watching these models strut in longerie and you were like me, you asked yourself why are these girls sickly skinny and tall. The Victoria Secret Model needs to be 5 feet 8 inches – 6 feet tall and they also have to have 34-inch bust, 24-inch waist, and 34-inch hip. These models set an undefined standard because we all know that men go crazy for these women. However if you don’t have that exact sexy hourglass shape like the models do then you better have a beautiful face (Gregos). We are constantly being judged by our body-shapes, our faces, and pretty much solely on our outer appearance.
The media always portrays women, with perfect skin and skinny bodies to sell and promote all of their products. Just like every Victoria Secret Model, Audrina Patridge is exactly like them. If you watch television you actually may know her from the show The Hills, however that is not the only place you may know her. Have you ever seen a Carl’s Jr commercial for the Teriyaki Burger? The media uses these girls that have perfect skin, skinny bodies, big breasts, and are most sex appealing to men. However the problem is that it makes men drool and women feel self-conscious about themselves. Seeing women that have perfect bodies plastered all around can be intimidating and lower ones self-esteem.
Our media standard’s of good-looking and beautiful women has reached an unreachable high. With technology these days an ‘average’ middle-aged woman can look ten years younger. The media makes women feel bad about ourselves because they think that they can never be as gorgeous as the woman on the build board, but even she can’t even look like that. It is time we stand up for ourselves. The media doesn’t control who is beautiful in this world. If we let them keep beating ourselves up for not being Victoria Secret Super Model gorgeous or if we keep letting them alter our faces with digital technology, then they will keep shoving skinny and symmetrical gorgeous women in our faces everyday.
To every girl that doubts they are beautiful, it is time to stand up for ourselves. If we can confidently say that we are happy, healthy, and don’t need to rely on the media’s approval of beauty we can be heard better rather than asking the media to stop putting skinny models on the television. If we as woman stand up for ourselves and be proud of who we are then the media will conform to please the audience just to get ratings/money. If you are alive and living your life to the fullest then you are beautiful. It’s not about fitting the ‘image’ that the media sets, it’s about living life to the fullest. We don’t need to have perfect symmetrical eye-brows, or a perfect size lip in order to be beautiful. If you are confident with the way you look and present yourself with confidence then everyone around you will see your radiance and notice the natural beauty living in your body.
eyesofawoman 