Why The Media's Body Expectations Are Unrealistic

Everyone has at one point encountered an image in the media of what a man or woman is "supposed to look like" but these expectations are unrealistic and often destructive.

It all started with “America’s Next Top Model,” getting it into everybody’s heads that people need to have spooky creatures on them to look cute. But finding spooky creatures to cover yourself with proves to be a time-consuming, and sometimes dangerous process. If you're looking for a cute furry accessory, ditch the tarantula and go for a faux fur bag.

There is often a desire in people, especially in men, to have more “useful,” “cut” bodies. And while working out and trying to find ways to be healthy is a good thing, it is harmful for people to expect too much out of their bodies. The truth is that you will never be able to trim shrubs with your bare hands, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t reach for more realistic goals: like being strong enough to move furniture by yourself.

Many of you have probably seen a painting or photo of the iconic,

Frida Kahlo and her sought-after unibrow. However, not enough people notice how rare a defined unibrow actually is. Try not to beat yourself up if your brows don’t look like this, and if you really want to appear as if you have a single eyebrow, try using a brow pencil to define those peach fuzz-like hairs between your brows.

I myself have often watched the movie “Cars” and thought to myself, "I want to have the body of a 2006 sky blue Porsche." But after several years of counseling, I’ve finally come to a place in life where I’ve accepted that I will never look like an expensive sports car. And that’s okay, because I’m beautiful just the way that I am.

To all of the men out there reading this, society lied to you when it told you that you need to look like a bee to be in a romantic relationship. The truth is that, unlike in “The Bee Movie,” there is a woman out there that is just waiting to settle for a human-looking guy like you!

Time and time again, women as well as cartoon characters have been told that they need to wear a bow on their head if they want to be perceived as a woman. But women should have the power to walk into the streets without a bow and still get treated by cars and pedestrians the same way as if they were wearing a bow.

Lastly, we’ve all seen how the media is trying to objectify women. But we as humans can take simple steps to fight against it. If you’re a woman, try looking your most human today so as to not reinforce the stereotype. And if you’re a man and you notice how human a woman is looking, feel free to compliment her on it.