Everyone is held to a certain standard in society, especially in the year 2016. I'm not just talking about beauty standards, I mean everything from the way you dress, to how you're supposed to act, to sexuality, and even the kind of car you drive. We are all supposed to fit in a tiny little bubble, but we're people and we shouldn't have to fit anywhere. I know I'm guilty of it too, as most of us are, thinking every person should be a certain way, but it's time for that to stop. We are all people, not objects.
Most say the standard is harsher on women than it is men, now while I do not agree with that, and I do think it is harsh on men as well, it is also pretty harsh on women.
As women, we are expected to be slim, have a big butt and boobs, always have makeup on, always have our hair done, and have the nicest clothes possible on. That is not realistic by any means. Not everyone can be slim and stay that way their entire lives, it's just not possible for everyone. Majority of the time, the people (not just women) who stay slim all their lives have a high metabolism, and it's in their genes. Others have to work hard at it and we shouldn't. We shouldn't have to be worried constantly about how we look, we shouldn't have to worry about if we have a little pooch. I know I can catch myself hating how I look in certain outfits I love because it makes me look huge, and I shouldn't have to be self conscious about it. We should get to wear what we want to wear and not feel bad about it. If you want to rock a crop top and shorts at size 4 or 18, you should get to without feeling bad about it. On that note, having a big butt and boobs for most people, doesn't just come from working out or plastic surgery, a lot of it comes from weight. So, for most guys their ideal girl has both of those features minus having a little extra weight.
And that isn't acceptable. You don't get to pick and choose what qualities you want and the ones you don't, that isn't fair to anyone.
On that note, women are often guilty of the same thing. A lot of women want a tall, dark, handsome, buff guy, and some want them to have that long hair put into what is now known as the "man bun". That also isn't realistic. Yes, there are some guys out there that do posses those qualities, but most don't.
Everyone just has to understand that people are people. They are going to have their imperfections, they are going to have things about them that make you feel like they're perfect, but not because of their bodies. They will be perfect because when you truly love someone, they will be perfect in your eyes, they will have their flaws and they will make their mistakes, but you will still see them as perfect.
Now let's talk about Brock Turner. Just by first glance, you might not see his case as being a society standard, I know when it was first mentioned to me that I should use this as an example, it didn't make any sense. However, when I got to thinking about it, it sure enough is. Think about it, Turner is a young college athlete, who sexually assaulted an unconscious, intoxicated woman in early 2015.Now think about if he was a 40 year old working man. Would the courts have acted the same way? Would he only have served 3 months of his 6 month sentence that could have originally been up to 14 years based on the charged filed against him? Yes, Turner is permanently registered as a sex offender, but most people 20 years from now who remember this case, probably will just laugh off the fact he is a sex offender. Let's think about if it was a 40 year old man. If he only served 3 months of a 6 month sentence (let's be real, he probably would've gotten years), and he was registered as a sex offender, would people 20 years from now be laughing it off?
I would think not. Parents would be panicking, scared for their child's life. The way people handle cases like this and how much a lot of this honestly has to do with age is ridiculous. A sex offender is a sex offender. If you commit a sexual crime, you should get as much prison time as possible. Not only are you permanently damaging someone, male or female, but you are making them think so little of themselves. Sixty-two percent. 62% is the amount of rape victims who blame themselves for assault. That isn't acceptable. It will never be acceptable, but some people think it's true. They blame the girl for being intoxicated, for dressing slutty, they blame the guy for being gay, or being flamboyant. Neither of which are acceptable.
Society standards are ridiculous, but no matter the year, there will always be some kind of standard we have to hold ourselves to. We shouldn't. We shouldn't be afraid to be who we are. We shouldn't be ashamed to be overweight, gay, to go out and have a good time without fear of being assaulted. I hope that one day that will change and we won't be shamed for being ourselves.
Just know that no matter what, you shouldn't be ashamed for being yourselves. Be yourself, do what makes you happy in life. Never let anyone rain on your parade, especially people you don't know.
