Beauty

So for the past few days in my AP Language and Composition class we’ve been talking about gender roles in today’s society. This brought up a lot of new information that I hadn’t known about, as well as giving me some new ideas and opinions about them.

                In American society today, we all have an idea of the “perfect person.” Whether you actively see it or not, this ideal human form is propagated to us by the media. And let me tell you, there is a lot of media exposure to us teens, who happen to be the most susceptible to its messages. The amount of media we’re exposed to, which includes “double bagging” (Or media multitasking – having two or more media devices that you’re focused on at one time), is almost eleven hours per day. Don’t believe me? Check out this article!

               What’s in the media that we’re all being exposed to that really takes the cake. If you live under a rock, or don’t believe in TV, or wear little tin foil hats and don’t got no time fo’ dat, you’d be amazed by what you saw the first time you turned on the good ol’ television. From music to documentaries to comedy to kids’ shows, you’re exposed to plot dripping with sex and “beautiful people.” So no matter what you’ve taken a fancy to, you’re being exposed to it from the time you learn how to change the channel.

                This isn’t just a problem with what’s “wrong” or “right,” because it’s messing with our heads. Kids and teens see these people on the TV, and they don’t actively think “Hey, I want to look just like that person.” But they do, on a lower level of consciousness, think of those beautiful people on TV as “perfect,” and aspire to be like them. They think that they’ve got to have perfect hair, or teeth, or makeup, or what-have-you to look pretty.

                That’s a pretty terrible think to think, and it drives people to do terrible things to themselves. Many teens develop eating disorders because they want to “look thin.” Although it might help you drop a few pounds, it definitely isn’t healthy for you, and does far more harm than good. Many supermodels from today are examples, becoming emaciated and skeletal figures that strut around in high heels and prada to a point where it’s just a major turn-off.

                So I guess what needs to happen is that somehow people need to realize that it’s not all about physical looks, or not everyone needs to look like the most recent star, or whatever. Beauty is its own thing, and comes in many forms. Or something.