...And Beauty

I have noticed a trend in magazines, television, and the internet that keeps women conscious of themselves. I’m not talking conscious about their thinking processes or conscious about how they conduct themselves, but conscious about the pursuit of beauty. Every popular magazine contains a Health and Beauty, Lifestyle and Beauty, or Fashion and Beauty section. On television, there are tons of commercials that advertise quick weight loss programs and the internet advertises for plastic surgery and magic colon flushing pills. We are being sold the idea of beauty everyday and the results are becoming redundant. Us girls run out to the mall for the latest trends, spend mounds of money on makeup, and even obsess over diet and exercise, all in the name of beauty. Some of us can’t stand the sight of ourselves without a “full face” of makeup or a fresh hair style. I can attest to this notion because I attend a school where fashion and beauty are imperative to the college life experience. Trendy clothing gives one status and respect on our campus, while a toned down dress code gets you overlooked.
My take on the situation is, over time, as we consume these things it starts to move into our subconscious. Even if we are not the type to obsess over our appearance, the constant perpetuations of the idea of beauty will make one opt to buy a tube of lip gloss over a sandwich for lunch. Especially amongst young women, the hunger for attention from men can also drive a girl to skip dinner in hopes to lose a few inches from around her waist. And it may seem like everyday occurrences, like, girls are going to be girls, but I think that it goes deeper than that. Girls do not love themselves the same. Self love is being overshadowed with platform pumps and glitter mascara. Now-a-days you do not have to work on building your self esteem because girls think that it can be bought. They may feel that the new military blazer or chandelier earrings will make them more susceptible to their peers and so the sense of self is lost in the sea insecurities and replaced by material possessions. Possessions used to douse feelings of inferiority that eventually go out of style. Women need to understand that self love makes the woman. Faulty weight loss programs and expensive jeans will not soothe embarrassment or humiliation but a strong sense of self will. It will not go out of style and the only cost is one’s time. Time to evaluate themselves and learn to love who they are.