Unattainable Beauty

From: Sofiah

The photo depicts two individuals, a female (17) and a male (18), gazing at themselves in the mirror, assessing their appearance. The camera angle was taken looking down at the subjects, implying that they are looked down upon for not naturally living up to the beauty standards that fit their gender, also making them appear vulnerable and insecure. The girl in the photo is depicted wearing a tight push-up bra, thus symbolizing that women are willing to endure considerable discomfort or outright pain as they strive to embody cultural ideals of beauty and femininity (Rudman & Glick 241). Throughout centuries, women have become more susceptible to demands that they alter their bodies in numerous ways, including undergoing breast implantation and other cosmetic procedures that have the side effect of decreasing the body’s sensitivity and expressiveness. From corsets to push-up bras, women have historically altered their bodies to appeal to men. In addition, the teenage girl is portrayed as somewhat looking down at herself while applying the numerous amounts of makeup product she has lying on the counter, thus displaying how “women are so eager to mask the naturalness of their facial expressions with cosmetics (241). The widespread use of makeup reflects women repackaging themselves for make consumption. For women, their self-image is constantly bombarded from every angle. The fashion and media industry constantly remind them how they’re not beautiful enough and need to compete with other women to be successful and find love. Women are constantly bombarded with the expectation to maintain their appearance to fix their hair, complexion, shape, and more.

            A male is also pictured looking fixedly at himself in the mirror. His arms are wrapped across his chest as if he is trying to hide and cover himself due to dissatisfaction. For someone his age and especially his gender, he is underweight and does not have the “strong, buff, ripped” body type that many men desire. As stated by Rudman and Glick in The Social Psychology of Gender, “an increase on physical strength and height can also translate into increased interpersonal power and influence” (217). An open container of whey protein is also displayed in the photo. Many people, specifically men, use whey protein powder to obtain the “bid-bodied” muscles many desire and to increase size and strength. The presence of the container symbolizes that the male in the photo is not content with the way he looks. As socially constructed identities, boys and men learn “appropriate” gender roles in accordance to the masculine expectations of their given society. Ever since they were young, boys get messages on what it means to be a boy. The most common expectations of boys are that they be physically powerful, big, strong, and muscular. Like female standards of beauty, men also have limited control over their appearance. A man can work out every day for hours on end, but if their natural build is small and slight, they are not going to turn themselves into the strong men they see on television. The male gender expectation is unachievable for a large portion of the male population.