This is from something I wrote for one of my first semesters at Columbia for a paper on gender representation. I pulled it from my personal facebook, hope you guys enjoy it. I tagged random girls because I feel you guys can really relate to this!
There are some women in this world that have the desire to be that perfect ten. The woman who wants to be that petite size and be able to wear all different types of clothing. The woman who thinks she might be a slight bit on the heftier side and starts to become anorexic. The woman who needs the big boobs and the perfect face with hopes to get everything she wants. Where do I think these thoughts, feelings and pressure came from? The media and the fear of being socially acceptable.
Beauty: A combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight. That is the definition of beauty in the dictionary, however that is not correct when we look to the definition the world has given us.
Why is beauty so overrated? Why do we have to look a certain way to be considered beautiful? The media and the fear of being socially acceptable has implanted thoughts in woman’s minds that encourage and I can say, FORCE them to do things that aren’t necessary. We spend our money on things that aren’t inevitable such as; plastic surgery and make up. We look to the ads we see campaigned through different brands and see this specific look when we are watching our favorite television shows. Being exposed to those two things on a daily basis manipulate us women to think that there is that one look, and that is the way we need to be.
We don’t need plastic surgery, we are who we are and we should all ACCEPT that. I know most women wear make up and I feel it’s because of the pressure that has been put on us from other people, especially men. Make up has progressed along the years and it’s sad to hear people say things such as, “she needs to wear make up” or “she looks weird without make up.” Why has make up become the key of being beautiful? Make up apparently enhances our look: it makes us pretty and unfortunately we just can’t be pretty without it. If make up never existed in this world, no one would know the difference between natural and gunky, and women would be considered beautiful and accepted with their natural look. I too am guilty for wearing make up and I am sure a lot of women who are reading this do too. It’s just something that has become an extensive thing for women, and will continue to be.
The true definition of beauty can only be found in the dictionary, but there are so many other answers to the eyes of the people. What we haven’t come to realize is that in reality, there is more than one way to be beautiful and it’s not just what we see in the media.