Over the years, the image of an ideal woman has changed dramatically, and the physical expectations have grown even more ridiculous. In the last hundred years, women have been given a tremendous amount of rights and have made progress in education and employment; for a few moments, it seemed, the possibility of having a female president was greater than ever. A significant amount of progress has been made, but not so much when it comes to unrealistic expectations for how women should look.
Growing up, I wanted to be a super model super badly. My dream was to strut down the runway like Naomi Campbell or Tyra Banks, living out all my dreams with a tall, slender figure.
At 9 years old, as an attempt to pursue my dreams of becoming a model, I took part in a runway show for a local clothing store. Modeling for the store made me feel like a million bucks, and I soon had my runway walk down. Feeling optimistic, (I was sure I would soon add an extra foot to my then 4'10" frame), I then signed up for a beauty pageant. I wanted to win this beauty pageant so badly and, with my $60 gown and a cute outfit from my closet, this beauty pageant was sure to be the beginning of my lifelong career.
Unfortunately, the beginning of my pageant days were quickly followed by their end. I didn't win or even place in the top ten, which, at 9 years old, made it feel like my world was falling apart. (To add salt to the wound, I never grew those 12 inches I was banking on.) Was I being a bit dramatic? Yes. But not winning that beauty pageant made me feel so ugly and, as I began to grow up, that feeling progressed. Middle school was when every girl's body started developing, while I, on the other hand, still had the body-shape of a toothpick.
Middle school was also the time when girls' bodies became sexualized. Girls were considered hot based off of outward appearance, which turned into me obsessing over my body at a young age. I would see other girls and the "perfect" women displayed in movies, which caused me to idolize their bodies. All I wanted was this "body" that these women had and the success that came with having one. Vividly, I remember staring at my body in the mirror and pinpointing every imperfection.
But with age came wisdom, and I realized that I was never going to achieve that unattainable "body" type. The expectation of the ideal female's body crippled me to the point where I hated looking at myself in the mirror. Now, as an adult, I'm content with the way I look, even if it may not be perfect.
At a young age, women are expected to look a certain way in order to be desirable for the other sex. The obsession with my looks consumed my life to a point where I never thought I was going to be happy. So, with that being said, take some time to compliment all aspects of yourself, because your body is not the most important part of who you are as a person.
