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Society's
idea of perfect woman never existed
I
want to look young again; "I need to
lose about 20 pounds; "I wish my nose
was smaller." These are three of thousands
of phrases that pour out of women's mouths
every day. Many women look at themselves
in the mirror and believe that they need
to change the way their bodies look to make
them feel better about themselves and to
appear more attractive to others.
But
what makes women say these stupid, ridiculous
phrases and what encourages them to participate
in expensive, harmful acts to change themselves
into something they are not? Society definitely
influences the minds of women by encouraging
them to look like unrealistic advertisements
on television and in magazines. Additionally,
images of the so-called "perfect woman"
are only shown on television to persuade
women that is what a woman is supposed to
look like. But changing your body for someone
else is not worth it.
Society
tells women we should look sexy and attractive
for others; we should also be dainty and
feminine. In other words, women are only
good to look at; therefore, we are eye-candy.
Starr
T. Balmer
Having
the smallest waistline, the bluest eyes
and largest breasts makes the "ideal"
woman. But what about women who have small
breasts? What about women who have dark
brown eyes or are fat? Since these types
of women do not conform to the ideals of
society, they are condemned for appearing
the way they are. So these types of women
basically have two choices: they are either
ridiculed for being themselves or must change
who they are. Unfortunately, the second
choice is in popular demand.
As
a result, many women go the extra mile to
shorten the length of their noses or reduce
the sizes of their butts. They waste their
time meeting with cosmetic surgeons to tell
them what is wrong with their bodies. Some
tear pictures of out magazines and bring
them to their doctors to tell them, "I
want to look like that." But is it
really worth it? I don't think so.
Because
so many women are convinced that their breasts
are too smalls and their hips are too wide,
various television networks such as TLC
and ABC house "makeover shows"
to give women opportunities to make their
dreams come true.
On
the makeover show, "The Swan,"
women undergo plastic surgery to replace
or enhance parts of their bodies to make
themselves more appealing to the naked eye.
Supposedly, they experience some type of
transformation for three months. Two women
are featured and not allowed to look at
themselves until they attend the two-hour
beauty pageant at the last episode.
During
the pageant, one woman is chosen as the
most beautiful "swan." But what
about the candidate who loses? She goes
through a gruesome operation for society,
and because she does not win, she is stuck
with whatever they paste on or cut off,
and she is still not seen as "ideal."
Again, is it really worth it? I do not think
so.
There
are some women who are born with physical
deformities such as cleft palettes or born
without limbs and desire to have these problems
fixed to live better lives. It is understandable
for a woman who has problems speaking because
of a cleft palette to undergo surgery to
correct it; it is understandable for a woman
who was born without a leg to have a prosthetic
leg created to help her walk. Women who
have real physical deformities have the
right to attempt to change their bodies
to continue on with their lives, but women
who have not had any problems with their
hips, nose, butt or whatever body part should
leave it the way it is.
Proud
feminist and lecturer Jean Kilbourne stated
in her film "Killing Us Softly 3,"
"advertising is the foundation of mass
media. It sells concepts of love, sex and
normalcy." As women browse through
hundreds of magazines and gaze at thousands
of advertisements, we compare ourselves
to those women in the ads. But as women
look through these magazines and see the
same type of women, white, blonde and large-breasted,
we wonder why we look the way we do and
desire to change.
Television
also influences the minds of confused women
as we watch award shows such as the Oscars.
This event honors excellent actors and actresses
because of their outstanding performances.
But before the night begins, women and men
walk down the red carpet in their beautiful
apparel. Women wear stunning gowns, with
their perfect hips lining the seams of thousand-dollar
dresses, while their breasts catch a touch
of the evening breeze. They all look wonderful
but they probably only wear their suits
and gowns once in their lifetime and look
like you and me on a normal day.
I
will not ask anyone to stop reading magazines
or watching television or looking at advertisements,
for that is nearly impossible since images
of the "ideal" woman are everywhere,
and not all advertisements send out these
messages. But, when looking at an ad depicting
a tall woman with a small waistline, long
blond hair and large breasts, do not instantly
believe she really looks that way. Thousands
of advertisements of women are retouched
digitally to "create" the perfect
woman.
Women
should be satisfied with what they have,
regardless of what society says. Don't look
at advertisements and evaluate yourself;
instead, critically analyze the women in
the ads. Do not be convinced that she is
perfect, but be convinced that you are just
right.
Starr
T. Balmer is a print journalism major at
CSULB.
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