Beauty is the Beast

I am fourteen years old and I have grown up in a world full of contradictions. Adults tell me I can be or do whatever I want. But thank God I don't want to be a model because then they would all be liars. But at the same time, thank God I don't want to be a boss of a big corporation because no one would take me seriously. So, what they really mean is that you can be anything you're not too ugly for, or too pretty for. But why do we think this way? Why is beauty black and white? Why does our society have these standards of what is considered pretty?

In recent campaigns, the beauty industry has worked to be more inclusive of "different kinds of beauty". Although this is a big improvement from the utterly narrow mindset they had before, they have a long way to go. They can put curvy women on billboards and pat themselves on the back, but if they were to put the severely obese population in an ad campaign, people would get uncomfortable. They can feel good about themselves when they put an older woman in a commercial, but they wouldn't dare put someone "too" aged and wrinkled as the face of their company. This can be confusing to people. It's okay to look "different", but it's not okay to look too "different". The farthest the industry will go on the spectrum is the middle. Not so much that people feel uncomfortable, but also not so little that people feel like they are being exclusive. Just enough to sell the product to people who then feel like they're doing justice by buying it. We can all feel good about ourselves when we're being accepting, but the people who don't feel good about themselves are the people who still aren't accepted. The perfect medium. But how can it be perfect if our human race still has so many issues around body image?

"Wow, you could be a model!" Is an expression in today's time. Although it's meant as a compliment, saying things like this puts limitations on girls who are said to be "exceptionally pretty". In the business world, men won't take you seriously unless you are "below average". You can't be smart and be good-looking. You can't be professional and have big boobs. You can't be a dedicated worker if you care about your appearance. It's one or the other. Many people dream about being one of these girls. And although it may seem like a fantasy to be so attractive, gorgeous women have to put up with belittlement in their day-to-day life. "You're too pretty to be in this office", "With looks like that, all you have to do is marry rich", "You don't have to go to college looking like that!". Comments like these, put it in girls' minds that if you look good you don't have to be smart and you're probably not anyway. Even the dumb high school movies we watch are centered around that ugly nerd and the stupid pretty girl. You can't have both. This message turns intelligent women into sex workers who don't want to be limited. Women who want more but can't because they're told they're too beautiful.

Image is what's important in today's world. It has become everything. Beauty has become the beast, but we have the capability to change. One thing that's been proven over the course of our lives is that change is possible. If we can create a community where books aren't judged by their covers, then maybe we can live in a world of true equality.