Beauty Standards and Starbucks

From: Myranda

            Depicted we have two teenage girls, to the left we have Angela and to the right we have Murphy. Both growing up relatively the same and being exposed to about the same amount of media across the board, the differences in the two are highly prominent from just one glance. The unrealistic beauty standards adolescent girls are exposed to at a young age can range; however, the majority focus on the requirement for girls to look presentable and well-kept at all times; either through makeup to cover up undesired features or clothes to display their best features. We see this introduced in the fifties with the popularization of housewives. Betty Freidman speaks about the importance of beauty and femininity in “The Problem that Has No Name”; and excerpt from the book The Feminine Mystic by explaining how the young aspiring house wives received their advice on how to be a proper female: “experts told them how to…how to dress, look, and act more feminine” with the defining quality of the feminine mystic being defined by their beauty. The outlandish beauty standards placed on adolescent girls translates quite well with Angela, who has an average amount of make-up adorning her face to cover any blemishes or discoloration that may seem imperfect along with a bashful smile and a refusal to face the camera, while being dressed in a brown low shoulder sweater with an exposed bralette. But with Murphy we see a bare face, an athletic sweatshirt zipped majority of the way to the top, and simple black pants while she stares straight into the camera with a fun expression on her face. Both of the girls are shown holding hands sitting in a Starbucks completing homework, an average scene for most teenage girls; nothing seems out of the ordinary on the surface.

            But as we dive deeper into the picture we see through the refusal from Angela to look into the camera she follows the beauty normality of women to appear unbeknownst to her surroundings along with being unknowingly beautiful; too much confidence is not what is expected. Following with the color scheme of Angela she has a light brown color that almost causes her to blend quite well with the back drop with minimal standout moments besides her pure white bralette causing a contrast of meaning. With white, purity is reflected; however, Angela is seen displaying it with her undergarments, her bralette, which also helps define her sexuality. Contrasting with Murphy we see her in a bright blue colored top that usually associates with a strong sense of masculinity, a complete contrast of femininty. Though both of the young women are beautiful with or without make-up with Murphy’s bare face she displays a strong sense of confidence along with her direct stare into the camera she confidently goes against the set beauty norms for young women. Along with the left tilted back drop we see that most girls lean more towards Angela’s decision to follow the beauty standards.

Works Cited

Friedan, Betty. The Feminine Mystique. New York: Norton, 1963. Print.