Society is hard on women. As long as history has been recorded women have been told that they are to be subservient, that they are “the lesser sex” or the “fairer sex.” Women have been thought of as ornaments and have been told that they are weak and if they get upset about this, then they are “hysterical.” It’s so great that times have changed.
They have, right?
Although there has been some advancement in society as far as treating women equally goes, the societal pressures to be attractive continue to skyrocket.
It used to be that women were encouraged to be attractive in order to secure a husband. Now the language has been conveniently turned around. The sky-high expectations for good looks are purely for us to feel good about ourselves.
Everywhere we look there are ads for anti-aging skin products, body-altering surgeries, makeup hacks to teach us how to contour our cheekbones in movie-star fashion, videos for home workouts that promise to help us lose that extra five pounds just in time for bikini season… The list never stops, and the pressure to be beautiful is with women every hour of every day, but remember, it’s not for anyone but for ourselves. Ha.
Even some young women in their early 20s, who don’t have a hint of any lines appearing on their skin yet, are injecting botox into their faces and collagen into their lips. Societal expectations have forced them to give up facial expressions for smooth, shiny skin, while keeping count of their daily steps and carbohydrates.
Exhausting.
I buy into all of it, too. How could I ignore it? I’m constantly wondering if I’m smart enough, thin enough, pretty enough, because if I’m not, then how can I be good enough?
We’re all trying to navigate this. I’ve made the decision to not have anything foreign implanted in my body. I also gave up experimenting with false eyelashes when one of them came unglued and fell into my salad.
But I really have to push myself to accept that I’m okay, that I have a right to contribute to society no matter how I look, and I know many women feel the same insecurities.