Every day young girls and women are bombarded with unrealistic media representations of women. Advertisements, Miss America contests, television shows, and movies are all responsible for the low self esteem that many women are facing today. In media, ‘beautiful’ women are depicted as being thin, perfect skinned, and big breasted. The reality is, many women are not thin, do not have perfect skin, and are not big breasted. Since they do not fit these ‘ideal’ images of beauty, many women believe that they are not beautiful and do not appeal to men. This article will dispose of these media beliefs about beauty by discussing what beauty really is, how ideas of beauty differ around the world, and what men really think about beauty.
As many people know, there are two types of beauty; outer beauty and inner beauty. Outer beauty, or physical attractiveness, is the type of beauty that is focused on most by the media. Unfortunately, media takes most physical attributes to the extreme. ‘Beautiful’ women in the media have perfect skin, perfect bodies, and the perfect weight, leaving women in the real world feeling insecure and undesirable. Unfortunately, media cannot be ignored. It is everywhere. It is on television, on the radio, in the movies, in ads, and even in children’s toys. This is why it is extremely important that we begin to emphasis the importance of inner beauty to young girls and women. Inner beauty, often ignored in media representations, includes psychological factors such as personality, intelligence, politeness, and personal charisma. Rather than focusing on unobtainable physical characteristics, young women should be focusing on attainable inner beauty.
Easier said than done, right? In today’s society, the pressure of a woman to be beautiful is stronger than ever. Unfortunately, most women are not focusing on inner beauty as they should be. So, for those women, here are two suggestions. The first is to ignore media representations. There are very few women in the world who actually fit the profile of a woman in the media. Even the women who have made it to television are often edited and airbrushed to look the way they do. The second point to establish is that ideas of beauty are forever changing. Beauty changes from time to time and from place to place. What is beautiful to one person is not beautiful to another. For example, in Western cultures, extra long necks may not be considered a beautiful trait. However, the Kayan tribe of Thailand believes that elongated necks represent ideal beauty. They are so infatuated with the idea of long necks that the women actually wear brass rings around their neck to help give them an elongated appearance. This shows how different cultures have different ideas of beauty. The same is true for different people within the same cultures. What is beautiful to one American man may not be beautiful to another.
Similarly, most men in Western cultures have a different idea of beauty than women. When you ask a woman what would make her more beautiful, she will often describe physical characteristics such as better skin, better hair, or bigger breasts. Men, on the other hand, often won’t mention physical characteristics when asked what beauty is. Research has shown that men believe happiness and healthiness make a woman beautiful, not physical characteristics.
Regardless of time and place, standards of beauty are always there. Unfortunately, media representations are giving young women unattainable beauty ideals which are damaging the self esteem of young girls and women. Instead of trying to live up to these unrealistic ideals, understand that beauty is not static. Everyone has a different idea of beauty. If one person doesn’t find you beautiful, another will. Also, focus on your inner beauty. If you allow your inner beauty to shine you will be happier and healthier, allowing you to achieve your ultimate goal of attracting the perfect man!