Beauty standards for women have been growing exponentially in recent history. Naomi Wolf sums up the problem nicely in her book “The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women” by saying, "The more legal and moral hindrances women have broken through, the more strictly and heavily and cruelly images of female beauty have come to weigh upon us." Women have gained so many rights throughout the past 100 years; however, we have been held to higher and higher beauty standards during this same time too. Not only must women strive to be beautiful and do anything possible to achieve it, they must also "want to embody it,” say Wolf. According to today's societal norms, women should kill themselves to be beautiful and also want to do this.
See the problem here?
Based on society's rulings, women are feeling overwhelming pressures to be beautiful, hot, sexy, etc. I know I can't speak for every woman out there, but based on the views of the many women surrounding me at work and college, there are a plethora of us who struggle with body image issues. At school, I'm surrounded by some of the greatest girls I know; they're kind, fun, outgoing, and all pretty in different ways. But when we’re getting ready to go to dinner or go explore Oxford for the afternoon, they’ll all make negative comments about themselves. They focus on aspects about themselves that society tells them are wrong. It's really a sad phenomenon.
Wolf cites the problems surrounding beauty standards as "more insidious than any mystique of femininity yet." While there are numerous huge issues surrounding femininity, this is definitely a main player. I hate to see awesome women struggle over something socially constructed like this.
My advice? Focus on your positive qualities instead of “negative” ones and your attitude is bound to improve. Remember that “beauty” consists of so much more than a person’s physical attributes. It’s proven that people place high value on creativity, empathy, a sense of humor, and so many other remarkable qualities.
Jessica Valenti also provides women with advice in her novel “Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman’s Guide to Why Feminism Matters.” My favorite tip from her is to "keep on talking" if someone tries to "use the ugly card (or the pretty one...) to silence you.” It’s a good reminder to stand up for yourself. She also suggests "call[ing] out people for using a woman's appearance to attack or judge her.” Speaking out against these boundaries is a great way to counteract them.
We need to look past the social standards around us and remember how subjective beauty is. Forget the standards and work towards appreciating yourself.
