Women shouldn’t have to push for the “perfect body.” Change society’s view of it.
By Audrey Marquez
The pressure that both women and men face to have the “perfect body” is all twisted up by society; women have to suffer the worst of it.
There is all this pressure on women to have the perfect body that impacts them on deeper levels than others think.
“You would look hot if you were skinny.” “Why is your face built like that?” “She’s so flat, lol.”
All these comments affect women. Women start to get insecure about their bodies and start wondering if they are good enough. They are impacted by comments online from people who have nothing better to do. People who are insecure about themselves degrade women by their comments and start making women feel insecure.
It doesn’t help that society has all these interpretations of how a woman’s body is supposed to look. People in society want to see a woman’s “perfect body” with a snatched waist, a fat butt, and big breasts. That’s not how it should be. Nothing is perfect but society makes it out as if that’s how it should be.
Why do women have to change just because society doesn't like the way they look? Change your opinion. Women shouldn’t listen to those comments about their bodies and should start loving themselves for who they are. But even the most confident women, deep down, are affected by what is being said to them.
The comments made on women may happen online but what if they are being degraded in person? What can they do?
It’s even worse when women start being pressured by other women themselves. Women should be supporting women because they have no one but each other to depend on. But because of this pressure not just women are being affected, but also young girls as well.
Since we have a lot more access to the internet and social media, younger boys and girls can see the pressure that is put on people older than them. Girls see all the pressure put on older women that they might admire and may realize that they don’t want to go through the same pressure as they do.
Young girls may push themselves to have the “perfect body” that is described on social media.
They may stop eating to look skinny, use more makeup to look like they have a clear face, and might do all they can to look perfect when in reality, they can’t look perfect in society’s expectations. The article, “Is There Too Much Pressure for Girls to Have the Perfect Bodies,” says, “Due to societal pressures, girls, throughout the United States, are struggling to find peace with their bodies as a result of pressure to maintain the perfect figure, which is causing problems physically and mentally.”
Girls are struggling with finding peace with their bodies.
Girls.
Young girls shouldn't worry about unrealistic expectations made by society. They should only be worrying about what they are going to eat for lunch or what game they are going to play during recess.
The pressure for girls and women is a bigger issue than the pressure there is for men to maintain the “perfect body.” There is still pressure for men but there is a bigger insistence on women.
“It’s not common to hear of a boy who’s having surgery to have a nice body, but it is really common to hear that a girl is," according to the same article. Men like women have pressure but women are being pushed into having the perfect body if theirs doesn't please society.
Women shouldn’t have to “fix” themselves to be perfect. They are already perfect and they have to see that.
We can never change society’s expectations, but we can stand up and accept who we are as women.