It’s almost impossible for a woman to fit into society’s standards. The elements of beauty are constantly evolving, and a lot of women can’t keep up. Heck, I know I can’t keep up. I think other women and I constantly feel pressured to look perfect, act perfect, and overall just be perfect. It really upsets me that I’m living in a world that revolves around the size of stomachs and clear skin complexions.
The Struggle
Here’s an example of the morning routine that millions of teenage girls around the world go through (okay maybe it’s a little exaggerated). I peel off my cucumber mask that I let soak on my face overnight, and I get out of my perfectly neat and proper white bed sheets. Then, my perfectly wavy hair falls down past m shoulder blades, as I walk to fix myself a cup of tea. I will then walk up stairs, where I apply the hundreds of products (including but not limited to face primer, foundation, concealer, powder, eyebrow pencil, eyebrow setting gel, eye primer, eye shadow in 500 different places, eyeliner, mascara, blush, and lipstick) to my freshly woken up face. Basically, I continue my day as a well-mannered young lady, making sure that my face is beautiful and my hair is perfect. It is honestly mentally and physically exhausted for women everywhere.
The Stereotypes
Guys can shower every couple of weeks and people won’t really care. Guys can go days without wearing cologne, but then get complete praise for smelling nicely. Women on the other hand, starve themselves in order to be thin. They pile on makeup in order to look pretty. A lot of them do everything in their willpower to look perfect, but everyday, more and more teenage girls look in the mirror and hate what they see. I personally know people who have suffered from eating disorders and depression due to their appearance, and the trend is growing larger. It’s harder and harder for girls to feel like they’re good enough.
The Media
Pictured above are texts that I have received TODAY from a few of my friends. They read "Pros of being ugly," "Why doesn't my body look like that?" and "My fat is begging me to stop eating." It honestly hurts me, because I got these texts from one of the most beautiful, genuine people I know. Honestly, there are so many causes of low self-esteems, especially in girls. There's the ancient "boys are better than girls" saying. Also, parents sometimes criticize their kids for the way they look and act. However, I think the root cause of the shrinking confidence in teenage girls is due to the media. Magazines, particularly, almost always photoshop women on their covers. To the side of the texts, this image shows a woman that most call perfect. Even Jennifer Lawrence couldn't escape the Photoshop frenzy. In this picture, she's seen with bigger eyes, a smaller waist, a very defined jawline, and more. Photoshopping in the media affected my life so much that three other girls and I started a community service project, called "Project Be-YOU-Tiful" which raised awareness amongst teenage girls at different schools. For two years at a state competition, my group won first place (If you want to hear more about this project, contact me personally). Teenage girls need to be aware that they don't need to conform to society's false definitions of beauty. It's difficult to stress how important this subject is to me, but honestly this subject affects everyone I know and my life.
Dove: Evolution
I know when I stare at a picture of Kendall Jenner on Teen Vogue, I immediately start to put down my doughnut and pick up an apple. I think this is the video that started it all for me. It changed my life, for the better. Before I always thought, "Well hey, these models have to look perfect. It's their job." What I didn't realize until after watching this video was that they're perfect, with or without all the makeup and glam. I don't care if right now everyone thinks I'm being crazy and annoying about this whole "You are beautiful," thing. Everything that makes a person unique makes them a little bit more beautiful. One of my friends told me, "We're all ugly to someone," earlier this week. My response was, "But we're also flawless to someone else." It's so important for a woman to not let other peoples' opinions affect her.
Reasons I Hate the Word Ugly
1.) There is no positive way to use the word.
"You're so ugly. You have the ugliest friends. That girl over there is so ugly." Replace the word "ugly" with the word "pretty." "You're so pretty. You have the prettiest friends. That girl over there is so pretty." The tone of the words changes from almost antagonistic to appreciative. A lot of people don't realize it, but one word can change someone's life. Use words to praise others; don't use words to hurt them.
2.) The word leads to death.
According to heyugly.org, people who are bullied for their appearance were 2.35 times more likely to commit suicide than their peers. I don't think people understand how important suicide awareness is until it has affected them personally. Trust me, no one wants to have suicide personally impact them. People should start making the change by complimenting others, not tearing them down for their imperfections.
3.) If I wrote about more reasons, this post would never end.
I don't know how many times I can pound this into someone's head, but everyone is beautiful. Maybe their personality is beautiful, maybe the way they talk is beautiful, or maybe their appreciation for life is beautiful. We're all SO beautiful in our own ways, but the hard part is now getting every girl to believe it. If I have one favor to ask of everyone who reads this post, it is to compliment and make their day.
As an end note to a post that I hope opened eyes around the internet, I'm going to leave one of my all-time favorite quotes here (for my readers to ponder over).
"You're so ugly. You have the ugliest friends. That girl over there is so ugly." Replace the word "ugly" with the word "pretty." "You're so pretty. You have the prettiest friends. That girl over there is so pretty." The tone of the words changes from almost antagonistic to appreciative. A lot of people don't realize it, but one word can change someone's life. Use words to praise others; don't use words to hurt them.
2.) The word leads to death.
According to heyugly.org, people who are bullied for their appearance were 2.35 times more likely to commit suicide than their peers. I don't think people understand how important suicide awareness is until it has affected them personally. Trust me, no one wants to have suicide personally impact them. People should start making the change by complimenting others, not tearing them down for their imperfections.
3.) If I wrote about more reasons, this post would never end.
I don't know how many times I can pound this into someone's head, but everyone is beautiful. Maybe their personality is beautiful, maybe the way they talk is beautiful, or maybe their appreciation for life is beautiful. We're all SO beautiful in our own ways, but the hard part is now getting every girl to believe it. If I have one favor to ask of everyone who reads this post, it is to compliment and make their day.
As an end note to a post that I hope opened eyes around the internet, I'm going to leave one of my all-time favorite quotes here (for my readers to ponder over).
The link to this image can be found HERE.