The Consequences of Modern Day Beauty

From: Brandy 

This picture depicts my 16 year old cousin dressed up the way that society says she should and showcases the consequences of unrealistic beauty standards on adolescent girls. As girls, we constantly feel pressure from society, media, and models on how we should dress, what colors we should wear, how our hair should be done, and what our bodies should look like. There are so many societal rules that girls have to follow that these ideas normally contradict one another. These ideas are learned from a very young age and impact how we should look, act, and talk as we move on into young adulthood. As we learned in “The Two Cultures of Childhood,” gender schemas influence children’s identities, preferences, attitudes, and behavior. From viewing images and other media of what is expected from young girls, we end up with teenage girls constantly trying to stay in the norms of what is expected of them. They are taught to be femmine and that this can be shown very easily by wearing the color pink and wearing heels. They are also taught what boys find attractive. This aspect also influences what they will wear. In many movies, we see girls wearing tall heels and short skirts and this combination normally catches the attention of men in the film. This tells girls that in order to be noticed by men, you must dress provocatively. But we are also taught that guys don't like girls that are “easy” and show too much skin. This contradiction often leaves girls confused about what they should wear so that they are accepted by their peers, the opposite sex, and society as a whole.

We also learned in “The Two Cultures of Childhood” that toys shape and reflect the ideals of each gender. In the article, it states that girl toys are typically soft and plush to encourage gentleness and nurturance. The idea that girl’s toys have to reflect the traits of a mother from such an early age indicate that girls are expected to hold onto these values throughout childhood, adolescence, and the rest of their lives.

In the photo, we see many of these aspects reflected. The girl in the photo is wearing  a pink shirt and sparkly heels to showcase her femininity. The color pink is also seen in other parts of the picture such as the curtains she is standing in front of, her plush toy, the hairbrush, and lotions and perfumes sitting on her desk. She is also wearing a short white skirt to showcase what men find attractive. Women are often critisized for the number of sexual partners they have, how often they have sex, and how early they have it. The skirts color is important because it indicates that she is still pure and innocent while still trying to gain approval from the opposite sex. Another way she tries to maintain her innocence is by holding on to the pink stuffed bear and the childlike socks that she is wearing with her heels. Both of these elements symbolize her childhood and femininity. In addition to this, she is also wearing a white sweater on her upper half to “cover up” so that she still has some modesty. This is her trying, again, to gain the approval of a society that constantly shames girls for wearing too little of clothing. These contractions ultimately just confuse young girls and push them into an identity that is no longer their own. The photo is cut off at her shoulders and is done so intentionally to imply that she no longer has her own identity because of all of the pressures from society. While she was trying to be someone that society approved of, she was not able to truly be herself and was placed in a mold or cage instead.

The picture was taken at a low angle and pointed up at the girl. This indicates that she is what other people, young girls in particular, should look up to. This also shows how powerful the images of women are within our society and how dominant they can be over adolescent girls. The background also contains items that young girls often have in their rooms or bathrooms. On the desk next to her, there are multiple bottles of perfume, lotion, lip gloss, makeup brushes, mascara, and hair brushes. All of these items are used to add to or enhance the girl’s appearance and is just another example of how our society encourages young girls to change themselves to fit the mold of gender norms.

Works Cited

Rudman, Laurie A., et al. “The Two Cultures of Childhood,” The Social Psychology of Gender: How Power and Intimacy Shape Gender Relations. The Guilford Press, 2015, 59-63.