Through recent years, looking at ourselves with a bright light and a magnifying mirror has been a common way to spot imperfections in the skin such as skin tone differences, dark under-eye circles, and poor skin quality. For decades, women have been idolized for their attention to detail when it comes to their complexion.

Let's be honest, both men and women have been obsessed with their appearances for decades. Granted, these obsessions have been centered around different aspects of the body, but they've always been there nonetheless. Men worship themselves for their muscle while women focus on their face and skin. Today, we are going to solely focus on women— as that is what I know.

Body types for the "ideal" woman have changed so much over the years that it's hard to keep track of what is most sought after. In 1910, the corset was used by women to give the female body a perfect hourglass figure, even though this piece of clothing damaged the organs and bone structure of the young ladies who wore them.

In the 1920's, there was a complete flip of female style as women started to bob their hair and wear shorter, looser dresses; commonly known as "flappers."

A more confident and forward woman was present in the 1940's when makeup became all the rage. All the ladies wore the most glamorous dresses and the most promiscuous stockings.

Through all of these changes, one thing is always constant. The female figure, clothing, hair, and makeup always became more flawless, with less room for any individuality.

The big question I want to ask today is this: Can all of this change be because of vanity? Or is it perhaps the ever-existing need to feel apart of the "norm"?

I truly believe that most people try to hide the fact that they are vain. We live in a world where looking flawless isn't so much a choice as it is more of an expectation. This constant need to look perfect has made most people crave it.

Can you deny that you feel the need to look in the mirror at least every couple of hours to "freshen up?" Or perhaps you sneak a peek at yourself in the reflection of your phone, maybe you even look away from the road to glance at yourself in the rear view mirror.

Now, of course there are a lucky few who don't find their appearance to be of importance—not that this is a better way to live as it can lead to poor hygiene.

I wish I had grown up in the years where women would meet up with the friends to all dress and put their make up on together instead of just competing with each other. No matter how much we deny it, every girl out there these days is just trying to find ways to look better than the next. Vanity has destroyed us and I think it can only get worse as the pressures put on younger and younger girls becomes more demanding.

Vanity is a strongly denied trait that most people feel ashamed to have—and maybe they should. Just think about this: If you were to die and be given statistics, and one of those statistics was the amount of time you spent obsessing over your appearance, would you be ashamed of that number?

Just remember, everything you do for your looks, body, and mind should be for you and only you. Never change a thing about yourself if it is meant to impress someone else, especially if the change won't make you happy.