Every year, every month, and every waking hour, there seems to be a new standard set on women. We must have it all, the “perfect body. What is the “perfect” woman according to society? A survey recorded that over 1,000 American stated that the “perfect” woman would be 5 '5, 128 pounds, with a 26 inch waist.

Those measurements are unattainable for many for numerous reasons. This societal pressure to fit into this little box has shaped how women worldwide see themselves, despite the progress we've made in self-empowerment and equality. Why is there so much pressure for women to fit these unattainable standards?

The Origin Of Beauty Standards

Although nowadays most beauty standards start online, they have a long history way before the internet or social media came to be. In ancient Egypt, beauty was commonly linked to wealth and power. Both Egyptian men and women used makeup to enhance their natural features, it was also common for some to have clear skin, this was associated with being noble. Another standard they had was having no body hair, as not having any showed cleanliness and high status.

Beauty standards have been around for millions of years, and they have significantly changed over those years. A very common beauty standard in today's world is the hourglass figure. Artists like Bottecheli and Michaelangelo began to focus more on the human form, making paintings of women curvier, with wide hips and small waist.

All the standards we have now have originated from something else, whether that's how we do our makeup, hair, or how we dress, it is all influenced in some way. Beauty standards are deeply rooted in history, but why have they seemed to become so aggressive in the following years? Why is it that no matter how close we get to equality and self empowerment, there is always something people on TikTok say we should dislike about ourselves.

Yesterday, I saw a video of a girl going for a run, and someone said they wouldn't go running because they didn't want “running face”, I have never heard of that in my entire life but my first thought was “Well, that sounds bad so I don't want that to happen to me.”, you see the issue now? Seeing 12 year old's have an anti-age routine feels very dystopian, you are already young, you don't need it. The human body was made to age, it is unavoidable and beautiful in my opinion, but we as a society have been so focused on saying that a woman's youth is her most valuable property, how many times have you heard someone say that about a man?

Not very often I presume. Misogyny effects how people see women greatly, they can form toxic stereotypes for any gender they want, as well as create some of these unrealistic expectations. Some people may expect their partners or family to act and dress a certain way to maintain their own looks, but not their partners, this is where a lot of standards can come from, and this happens way more often than you would like to think.

Image Credit: Jack Hunter from Unspalsh

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Reality or Photoshop?

We are in a world now where it is hard to differentiate real vs fake, especially with the quick rise of AI. Apps like photoshop create the idea of perfection, perfect skin, body, or hair, one problem, it’s not real. We all know beauty influencers film under professional lights and edit their pictures, but it's a different story if you are telling people it's not edited.

A good example of all of this would be the fitness community online, we have seen a few fitness influencers claim if you do their work out you can look just like them, only to find out later they achieved their look through cosmetic surgery. Obviously, not all influencers are like that, but the fact that even some of them are like that is very concerning. I have seen plenty promote their unhealthy eating habits or workouts, and when you are a teenage girl you think “absolutely I want to look like her.”, I am sure we can all think about what that mindset can lead to.

Half the people we compare ourselves to are not even real, to an extent. I grew up with acne, I was always told to either cover it with makeup, or edit it out of photos, and it was only until recently that I stopped being insecure about it because people stopped talking about it, and I stopped constantly looking at people online who appeared to have no skin texture.

When I looked at those photos, I remember always wondering how they achieved the look of no skin texture, and I tried everything to get it, and when I didn't, I was left feeling more insecure. Why is there so many standards set on young women to be “perfect” or girly all the time?

Being a woman is so much more than how you look, or act, and I am tired of being told I am not girly enough because of how I do things, just because your passion or opinions are different doesn't mean mine are less important or dumb. For so long I have believed that I cant do certain things just because I am a girl, I thought I couldn't be a surgeon, I would have to be a nurse, because that's a woman's job, and I am tired of others being told that's how it's supposed to be.

Image Credit: Taylor Deas-Melesh from Unsplash

Final Thoughts

It seems that society has painted a picture, youth is the peak of beauty, so we should hold onto it. Some may not realize, but the idea that youth equals attractiveness is very concerning. If you believe if someone looks younger they are more attractive please sit back and think for a moment, that is a very odd thing to think about right?

The truth is, being a woman sucks, especially now. I am constantly being told I have an attitude for simply having an opinion or expressing my feelings, I am not taken seriously in discussions about my own rights to my body, I am called uneducated, weak, too sensitive, and much much more, who knows that being empathetic means I am too sensitive. Being told all of that has made me believe it, I was told I was too sensitive so I have gotten good at hiding how I really feel, I don’t really talk about certain interests because it is not seen as “girly”.

I am sure many women are tired of these standards, it’s almost like no matter how much we try, we will never be respected. I should not be scared to be a woman, I should not have to keep my guard up when I am around strangers. Women should not have to fear walking to their cars.

We need to open our eyes as a society and see that this is an issue, and has been for years and years. Will there ever be a time where we are all respected to the same degree? This problem is deeply rooted in history, the question now is, will we be the ones to change it?