As I was scrolling through the social media app Instagram, I came across a photo of a young girl (probably 5-7 years old). The photograph illustrated the young girl with scissors pointing to her belly and a photograph of a model laying in her lap. There was also a caption that said “Girls aren’t born hating their bodies- we teach them to.” I had seen pictures similar to this before but today when I saw this picture many different thoughts came to my head. Perhaps this is because I have spent more time reading about beauty and body standards. I think that what the picture is portraying is the reality we are living in today but I also think it goes a little beyond that. Its true that most “beautiful people” portrayed in the media look a certain way but I think that in todays society everyone is also being taught that there is no such thing as perfection. With that lesson we are leaving out a crucial piece of information. Perfection is unattainable because the perception of everything lies in the mindset of an individual. However no one really tells you that its okay not to be perfect or that you shouldn’t compare yourself with someone else. Most importantly the way you look does not determine what you can and cannot do. Does it really? My question is, if we are actually trying to teach our youth to be accepting and content with they way they look then why are still trying to live up to beauty standards (because we are)? I think part of our aesthetic standards comes from our culture. I feel like we always want more (concerning with everything) and nothing is ever enough! Where does the beauty spectrum begin and end? You can’t be to skinny or to fat! You shouldn’t wear to much make up but you shouldn’t be completely bare! You should show a little skin but not to much! You should have flaws but only certain kinds of flaws. I think that we always try to blame the media for setting up what we call beauty standards but I think our culture has a bigger impact on the connotation of beauty.
Oct 302016