Beauty standards affect everyone today; people are pressured
to look a certain way to achieve a society defined “ideal” body type. Once upon
a time, dolls were “flat-footed and breastless, and ineffably dignified”
(Prager 354). However, the current Barbies have “breasts [that] are so out of
proportion to the rest of her body” (Prager 353). Women are becoming more and
more objectified through social media, making girls believe that they must
achieve that standard. Even from the day babies are born, they are forced to
adhere to a strict gender stereotype: girls are given pink items (whether it be
pink clothes or pink elephants) and boys are given blue items. It is not like
Jesus created these radical divisions. Through the media’s rhetoric, women are
forced into these patriarchal defined beauty standards.
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| Is looking that skinny even necessary? |
Something I find very amusing is how ridiculous the beauty
standards are and how frequently they change; however, they are still forced on
women. For example, in Mean Girls, Regina George is made fun of for having a
fat butt; however, our society right now is encouraging women to get butt
augmentation surgeries. Many
celebrities are posting photos showing off their butt, “verifying” that this is
a needed standard for women. Although Kim Kardashian took an x-ray to prove she did
not undergo surgery, she still tries to show off her butt, making other women
insecure about their bodies.
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| From criticizing Regina for having a fat butt... |
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| to idolizing it! |
Our patriarchal society defines that a “thirty-nine-inch
bust and a twenty-three-inch waist are the epitome of lovability” (Prager 354).
However, who are these standards trying to impress? Men. Women are forced into
this cycle of adhering to these standards to fit in with a male-dominated
society. Making matters worse, famous
female artists are even writing songs that are upholding these gender roles. In
Meghan Trainor’s song, Dear Future Husband, she says that “she never learned to
cook,” but she also says that “if you wanna be my one and only…if you wanna get
that special loving.” Trainor will not follow the social standard of cooking
for her man; however, the whole song upholds the “standard” that women are
subservient to men. This sends conflicting messages to girls who should be empowering themselves, believing that they can do whatever they want to do in life without any restrictions.
Changing our mindset is going to take a lot of work; we need
to stand up to these stereotypes as a world and change our perspective. This is
an issue deeply rooted in our society that needs to be addressed now. Without
equality, we are always going to be “trapped in Barbie’s world” (Prager 355).
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| BREAK THE GENDER ROLES! |
This was a pretty fun post Richard! I actually found it amusing when you included references to celebrities, movies, and music. However, I do think that "Our patriarchal society" is a bit of a hyperbole because I do not think society today is as patriarchal as you may imply. I do agree that we should stand up against the stereotypes you mentioned, but perhaps we should not do this so extremely that women would get oppressed by a different kind of stereotype. What I mean is that we should take a more moderate approach to "Changing our mindset" rather than a very conservative one. Overall, your writing style was very fluid and concise. Great job!
ReplyDeleteNice post Richard, you did an excellent job with the paragraph, it felt fluid. I didn't feel like you just plugged in those words, you really have a good sense of control over your writing style. Good job!
ReplyDeleteNice post Richard! I liked your visual I actually have seen the Ralph Lauren ad having a lot of controversy. I also liked how you added the puzzle paragraph words in nicely. Also very nice job relating to Meghan Trainers song that we have all probably listened to.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this post. You incorporated the puzzle paragraph terms very nicely and I like how you brought up the fact that even the songs we listen to, like "Dear Future Husband" reinforce these views; it was an interesting new perspective. I look forward to reading more of your posts in the future!
ReplyDeleteGreat post Richard! I liked how you used social media references in your post. Also, you did a really good job incorporating the puzzle paragraph words into your post.
ReplyDeleteI feel like you did a very good job expanding on the ideas we talked about in class and relating them to pop culture. However, I slightly disagree with your interpretation of the Meghan Trainor song. I wouldn't consider myself a fan, but after listening to that song I got the impression that she is an independent woman who expects her husband to treat her with respect. For example, she mentions how she shouldn't be expected to cook for her husband all of the time because she also works a full-time job. Along with songs like "All About That Bass," where she specifically talks about the unfair beauty standards that women are held to, I don't feel that Meghan Trainor was a good example to help your argument. In fact, I think she would agree with you on most of the things you are saying in this post.
ReplyDeleteHey Richard!
ReplyDeleteI loved reading your post. I loved how you use various visual examples to complement your argument. They now only displayed something tangible but they also demonstrate how widespread this issue is. Also you did a great job of seamlessly integrating the puzzle paragraph words into your argument. Overall, excellent post!