The Distractions of Beauty
Words and Photographs by Jaquelin Bautista
We all dream of an equal world, hopefully.A world without disparities between rich and poor, Blacks and Whites, and womenand men. There are many ways in which we can address these inequalities, frominvesting in education to implementing new policies; There is an abundantamount of work we must do as a society to create an equal environment for all.Across media platforms, we have begun to see an increase in the representationof people of color, body type, and disability. Representation plays a bigfactor in closing the gaps of inequity.
In a study done by Nicole Martins andKristen Harrison at Indiana University, they found that out of 400 black andwhite girls and boys, the only group whose self-esteem was not diminished werethe white young boys. Seeing yourself, or rather not seeing yourself, has greateffects on one's self-esteem, which can diminish one's self-worth and derailtheir education. Today, more people are engaging in a conversation aboutprejudice and discrimination, offering safe spaces for people to share theirexperiences. Media sources like Blavity,Latina.com, and Colorline serve communities whose issues and voices are oftenunheard.
As we enter Women's History Month, wecannot forget to spark conversation on the many ways that women continue toexperience the detrimental effects of the patriarchy. The messages we send towomen - about the way they should behave, dress, communicate, and live - arespread at a young age. Toys that target girls are often dolls, kitchen sets,and stuffed animals, permitting the establishment of conceptions of femaleroles in society.
The doll manufacturer “Barbie,” has dedicatedan entire campaign and made it part of their brand image to encourage younggirls to pursue their dreams - regardless of what they are told. By creatingdolls in different careers, Barbie aims to promote girls entering fields likeSTEM, and to continue playing sports.
Often, Western beauty standards portrayedin advertisements, entertainment, and across social media platforms, perpetuatethe development of insecurities and lack of self-esteem. The women shown representa specific body type with certain features. Women who do not see their bodytypes represented in the media tend to experience high rates of bodydissatisfaction and body dysmorphia. “The Good Place” actress, Jameela Jamil,started the ‘I Weigh’ movement, where women demonstrate the worth they weighfrom different aspects of their life.
On the same accord, the 10 billion dollarskin bleaching industry is fueled by the fear women have of being too dark; asthe media so often portrays light skin women as the ideal standard. Women withcurly hair may feel compelled to straighten it because Western beauty standardsvalue straighter hair. Hair is, in fact, one of the many ways in which women'slives are regulated. Hair has been used to measure a woman's worth andsexuality throughout history and among various cultures. Longer hair is often asymbol of a woman's beauty, femininity, and sexuality. Some African and Muslimcultures place value on woman's hair and include the option to cover up. Womenwith longer hair appear to have greater sex appeal and are perceived as moreattractive. Whereas women with short hair are not only perceived as lessattractive and have lower sex appeal, but are also seen as less feminine. Theseideas of a woman's sexuality are perpetuated by the media’s representation ofwomen's hair. We do not tend to see women with short, curly, or even no hair onscreens, magazines, or advertisements.
Further, women's bodies continue to bepoliced as we monitor women's body hair. While men are not expected to groom atthe rate that women are, women spend thousands ofdollars throughout their lifetime on hair removal processes.Additionally, the media displays hairless female bodies, even in razorcampaigns. Women with body hair may be considered to have bad hygiene, and thelanguage around body hair includes words like gross, dirty, and disgusting.Nonetheless, hair removal is a norm that people continually conform to - with93 to 99 percent of women of all ages shaving, sources show. Women who do notconform to these expectations face being outcasted and deemed as deviant.Similar to a woman with short hair, women with body hair experience beingperceived as less feminine.
The 532.43billion dollar makeup industry is constantly perpetuating ideal beautystandards. Women are bombarded with images of other women with perfect skin,eyelashes, and eyebrows - allowing womento believe that this is how they should look. Suddenly, women are investing ineyelash extensions, eyebrow tinting, and feeding the cosmetic industry to fitthis ideal standard of beauty. Studies have found that women spend around$3,756 a year, or a total of $225,360 throughout their entire lifetime.
The media is constantly telling women howto live their lives. Whether it’s regulating the amount of hair a woman has onher body or perpetuating unachievable beauty standards, women are constantly distractedby the idea that they are not enough. Women who don't see themselves beingrepresented in the media invest time and energy into achieving the ideal image of a woman. How can weexpect to create an equal world, then, when women are constantly worrying abouttheir appearance in unhealthy rather than empowering ways? Women spend money onproducts and hours in front of mirrors looking for ‘imperfections’ all becausethey are told they need to look a certain way. Men do not experience the samelevel of governance from the media at the rate that women do, and are exemptfrom the constant doubt of not being enough.
Beauty standards are a great way to keep womendistracted by their image and to not invest in the same aspects of their livesas men do. For example, women are not encouraged to pursue their goals or seekhigher education. Instead, we teach our little girls about nail polish,lipstick, and obedience. We teach our young girls what their place is insociety, and not the power they have to be what they want.
Today, women across the country challengebeauty standards by shaving their heads as a political statement, not removingtheir body hair, or even not wearing makeup. Women are recognizing the holdbeauty standards have had on their lives and are challenging norms, breakingboundaries, and working on their self-acceptance. This is not to say that womenshould throw away their makeup or chop off all of their hair. Rather, we needto question the impact the media has on why we value those things in the firstplace.
It is too often that a woman findsherself full of insecurities fueled by the media's lack of inclusion of bodiesand complexions. One day when we no longer expect people to be, act, and look acertain way, we will hopefully have gotten one step closer to a more equal andpeaceful world.
