On today’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr feed, we see many things about how society has shaped our ways of beauty; that society tells us what is ‘beautiful.’ There is all this talk about how society shames those who carry a few extra pounds around with them than others. And we occasionally see posts how skinny girls feel shamed as well. In the society we live in today, there is no pleasing anyone, no matter what you do, yet everyone is always striving to meet the standards that our society sets for us.
I guess when you think about it, these ‘standards’ aren't really obtainable. But they aren’t obtainable for a reason. They aren’t real. They aren’t written down on some golden piece of paper, they aren’t laws written into our Constitution and sure as heck are not written in the Bible.
Like I mentioned before, these standards that we are constantly striving to obtain, which we never will, seem to focus a lot on the way that we look. We blame the media, we blame those in the spotlight, and sometimes we blame others for the hurtful comments. But, the only person we forget to blame is ourselves, for every morning when we wake up and look at ourselves in the mirror. And when we look in those mirrors, we say things to ourselves that we could never fathom mentioning to another person.
But, our physical definition of ‘beauty’ is not the only standard that is corrupted in our society. With our attention focused on number that the scale reads, we forget about every other standard that is set for us.
I am 19 and people tell me I am ‘too young’ to get married. But who is exactly telling me I am ‘too young’? My parents? Mr friends? My family? Who are they to define the rule of my life or the path in which I am to take? Do they get to decide if I am in love or not? Do they get to decide if that love is real, lasting love? If so, it better be them walking down the isle and not me.
When you are a senior in high school, the question that you never seem to get asked enough is ‘Where are you going to college?’. Do you view going to college as your only option? If you do, who do you feel pressured by? Would it be that terrible to take a year and travel the world? Or make search for your faith?
When you are in college, you are continually asked your major. Because your major is your career, your future, and your life. You are told the classes you take and the grades you get right now will affect the rest of your life. Do you know how many kids actually choose a major based on salary? If your parents are anything like mine, when deciding on a major, that was the first and only thing they were focused on. When, in reality, it is up to me to decide my major, my future, and my life. Because they aren’t the ones that have to wake up every day for the rest of their lives to your alarm clock that signals you must go to your job.
It seems that beauty is defined by the society that we live in today, but in all honesty, that is not and never will be the only thing that it defines. And as much as we would love to blame the media, those in the spotlight, friends, family or maybe even strangers, the only people we can blame is ourselves. It seems the stepping stones of life have been decided and paved for us, but what is worse is that we do not object to them.
