Culture's Beauty Bogus

No doubt, our culture has been feeding us lies about the definition of true beauty.
That’s obvious. Sometimes they’re subtle, other times not to subtle. Here’s some of the examples that were used in the book "Wanting to be Her" by Michelle Grahm.







Barbie
Now I don't know how big of a role Barbies played in your childhood. I wasn't the type of girl that went crazy over Barbie movies, backpacks, or clothes or anything like that. (Though I did have a Barbie video game, but that's beside the point.) But I know other girls who were infatuated with Barbie when they were little. And if you happen to be one of those girls who have actually compared your proportions to a Barbie, which be honest every girl has done, whether they were serious or not. Here's why you were a little disappointed. If Barbie was a real person with an average bust size of 36in. In order to have her proportions she would have to be between 6’9’’ and 7’5’’ tall. She would also be missing several major organs, a hormonal cycle and a metabolism. This icon of beauty would actually be a freak.







The Models.
Then of course, there are the modeling companies. Models are pretty, but you have to admit they’re on the extreme side. (I mean, come on, the chicks on America’s Next Top Model, can feel all that fantastic.) The average North American woman is 5’3’’ and weighs 152 lbs. (Now if you’re freaking out, remember this is the national average which means they’re including all ages, body shapes, etc…) The average model is 5’9’’ and weighs only 110 lbs. I did some math and that means that if a woman of average height (5’3’’-5’4’’) wanted to reach the model’s proportions she would have to weigh between 100-102 lbs. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but that doesn’t sound ideal. Also, most Miss America winners have a body mass index that lies within the range of malnutrition. Yeah, that doesn’t sound fun.


Media
And then, of course, there is the mainstream media. It always gets the bad rap, but for good reason. This is a quote from actress Julianne Moore:
“ There is so much illusion in photographs and movies. I know an actress friend who was looking at a photo in a magazine and said, ‘Why don’t I look like that?’- and then she realized it was a picture of herself.”
I was surprised at that, it also talked about how they electronically modify a lot: airbrushing to smooth complexion, even taking “a little off the tummy.”
Actress Jamie Lee Curtis did a photo shoot for More magazine in which she was featured without her hair styled, or makeup, no computer touch ups, or special lighting. And needless to say it took a lot of readers by surprise. This is what she said referring to how she actually looked; “I don’t have great thighs. I have very large breasts, and a soft, fatty little tummy. And I’ve got back fat. People assume that I’m walking around in little spaghetti strap dresses. It’s insidious - Glam Jamie, Perfect Jamie the great figure, blah, blah, blah,… It’s such a fraud, and I’m the one perpetuating it.”
And… a lot of actresses also admit to having had plastic surgery or liposuction.


But you guys knew all this. Or at least expected it, I’m sure. This is only the tip of culture’s beauty lie iceberg. This may be what’s above the surface, but what lurks beneath is far more dangerous. It creeps into girls’ minds everywhere, whether you look like a model or more like ugly Betty. Lets talk about a few of the lies that are below the surface.
I’m sure every one of us, in some form or another have bought into this lie:
“Unless I am physically perfect, (which is usually unrealistic and unattainable anyway) I am some how not as valuable as everybody else.”
There was a study done that showed most women feel depressed after looking at a fashion magazine for just three minutes. That sounds crazy, but I know it’s true because it’s happened to me. Is something wrong with this picture or what?!
We have all fallen into this way of thinking at one time or another. Sometimes it shows itself in different ways; you freak out because you have nothing to wear, or you have a bad hair day, or a break out, and you walk through the rest of your day feeling ugly and inadequate. You may even be surprised that it bothers you that much, but it does. And there’s more danger in buying into this lie than feeling down about yourself. If you view yourself this way it’s only a matter of time before you’ll start to view other people in the same way. That’s something that really bothered me when I read the book. Feeling inadequate is one thing, thinking others are inadequate because of how they look is another. To me that makes it a really big deal to have the right perspective.

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