In a highly cosmetic-driven society quick to blindly conform to today’s beauty standards, the fashion industry appears to reign as the decision maker for what the latest trends may be. In the 90s, skin and bones were known as the go-to physical element that “flattered” all styles and were often viewed with envy strutting down the catwalk. If a woman’s weight exceeded 99lbs, she might as well have committed fashion suicide. In many cases, countless women have committed suicide over the inability to obtain an unhealthy figure as a result of unrealistic societal expectations.

Today, celebrities like Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian have redefined contemporary beauty standards. A “curvy” woman can now walk the streets without shame. Now of course by curvy we mean a woman sporting an hourglass figure with a taut stomach, voluptuous bust, and curvaceous backside not to exceed 139lbs. Ladies, it is time to strap on your waist trainers and begin your diet of water and ice chips! — This is said of course, with the utmost sarcasm I can muster.

In 2017, young women are exposed to more beauty products than ever before. From witnessing the intolerance of stretch marks and cellulite to being encouraged to utilize products that prevent and reverse the effects of aging before she turns twenty-two, the modern woman has been taught to be an erratic consumer living in fear of catching the "ugly."

Why do we authorize big businesses and celebrity advocates who make kickbacks off of our purchases of their merchandise to define our image of beauty? Why do we allow ourselves to be swept by our thirst for social acceptance while in doing so we lose the very aspects that make us who we are? Why do we convince ourselves of the inability to possess inner body positivity and continually reinforce these companies by investing in their endless commodities?

The answer is rather simple. We live in an age where the number of likes on our latest Instagram post holds greater notoriety than the opinion we hold of ourselves. Call me old-fashioned, but I am a firm believer that we do not need to hear a stranger call us beautiful in response to the brand of clothing, makeup, or celebrity-endorsed workout routine we use to know that we are exquisite in any shape or size.