“Wait, retake that picture. My arm looks fat.”
“Can you hold the phone higher up so we look skinner?”
“I have a hair sticking up.”
Have you ever just listened to some of the things girls say when they’re taking pictures with their friends? It’s absolutely ridiculous, but we’re all guilty. Young women in this day and age are so concerned about how they look and making sure every picture they take is perfect because they compare themselves to everyone and everything around them. It’s time to start appreciating what we see when we look in the mirror.
The media constantly broadcasts what their idea of perfect is. Actresses, actors, models, public figures, are all beautiful people, but they don't represent reality. They are fantasized, and on purpose. Not everyone can look like that. Half the time, those celebrities don’t even really look like how they are portrayed in pictures. But the second these larger than life people show that picture perfect isn’t who they really are, they are torn apart. What kind of message does that give to young women today? That you always have to look perfect; being real and being yourself somehow isn’t good enough. It’s not realistic to have those expectations. In fact, it’s purely unhealthy. Trying to be in that perfectionist state of mind will get you nowhere, because you will never be perfect.
Kate Upton was recently scrutinized for being too fat walking on a runway. TOO FAT? This is the same woman who was on the cover of Sports Illustrated and the spokeswomen for a number of successful brands. She is one of the curvier women in the fashion industry. Men want to be with her and women want to be her. This women is being torn apart by the public eye for being too big for the runway. If Kate Upton is too fat, what kind of message is that sending for girls who are already self-conscious about their image and their weight? Examples like this are among the reasons why rates of teen depression, eating disorders and anxiety are skyrocketing. Giving young girls the impression that good isn’t good enough is ruining our society.
It isn’t right for young girls to be so concerned with how much they weigh, how they look, obsessing over what kind of clothes to wear and how much makeup to put on. That comes later in life. They should be enjoying school, friends, family, and stress-free activities. Society wonders why suicide rates are sky on the rise. It’s partly because the image and figure that young people feel the pressure to reach is largely unobtainable without the resources that celebrities have. Things such as family values, staying healthy and being a good person aren't emphasized like wearing Gucci sunglasses is emphasized. The media has to change their idea of what beautiful is and start making their expectations more down to earth, because nobody will ever look like the models and actresses we see on the billboards. There is only one you. It may be hard to see how great you actually are, but there are people who appreciate you. Nobody can ever possibly compare to you because you’re one of a kind.
