Rachel Yemm is a Critique contributor. Already holding a Bachelors Degree in History, Rachel is currently studying for her Masters Degree in Historical Studies.
Rachel Yemm
ith many beauty procedures so readily available, 21st century women have the ability to make themselves look however they want to look; but does this mean that they should? Does this mean that we are going to be happier, that our lives will become somehow more fulfilling if we have bigger boobs, thicker hair and tanned skin?
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I’m not suggesting that we need to stop making an effort to look and feel good. Like many girls I love makeup, I will never have enough different shades of pink lipstick, and sometimes getting ready to go on a night out is one of the most enjoyable bits. What needs to change is the mindset that beauty and happiness are synonymous.
Girls, has anyone ever told you that you’re too pretty to cry? Why do we associate good looks with unquestionable happiness? Women are envied for their looks whilst other qualities such as intelligence are considered a bonus. I can’t help but find compliments such as ‘you’re not just a pretty face’ slightly offensive, as they seem to reinforce the idea that being beautiful is of primary importance and everything else is an added extra. How absurd that something so meaningless, so easily faked, which will inevitably fade over time, is considered by many to be more desirable than qualities that are far harder to attain.
It is this mentality that puts so much pressure on young girls to look perfect, and to forget that there are other ways to enrich their lives. Women don’t want to be viewed as objects, but by maintaining this ‘if you’ve not got it, fake it’ mentality, are we not objectifying ourselves?
Whilst women are fighting for their rights to be treated as equals, other women are still allowing themselves to be judged on their appearance by entering themselves into beauty contests. So why do we do it? Perhaps it’s because we are led to believe that social acceptance comes from the way that we look.
Or perhaps it’s because we are constantly being sold an unattainable standard of beauty by magazines and cosmetic industries; most girls will understand the frustration of looking at an advert for mascara, only to notice the caption at the bottom of the page: ‘Model is photographed wearing lash inserts’.
But who are we doing all of this for? Most men seem to prefer women to wear a more natural makeup look, and I often question whether they even notice things such as false nails and eyelashes, which we spend so much time and money on.
Women are constantly finding new ways to make themselves look more ‘flawless’, to fit in to the cultural ideals of attractiveness which are created and maintained by celebrities and magazines, such as cosmetic surgery, fake hair, eyelashes and nails. Some are now even taking the somewhat extreme measure of having their eyebrows tattooed on (yes, that is a thing). It is not hard to see why many women feel pressured into looking perfect.
The words ‘slut’ and ‘whore’ seem to apply mainly to women rather than men; so why is it that a man who enjoys sexual freedom is a ‘lad’, yet a woman who does the same is a whore?
How have men achieved this level of freedom that apparently women aren’t entitled to? It isn’t necessarily men who are the problem, women are just as guilty of labeling other women as sluts as men are, and thus we are ourselves reinforcing the outdated idea that women must always remain virtuous. If we continue to be sexist towards our own gender then men will continue to do the same.
So why are women so bitchy towards each other? You would think that, being faced with many of the same social pressures, women would want to support each other rather than turning on one another. But it appears this isn’t the case. Bitchiness amongst women seems to stem largely from women’s insecurities about themselves; women seek to make themselves feel better by making other women feel inadequate.
There are far greater dangers posed to women by this kind of mentality. Once we start to judge women based on their physical appearance and how they choose to dress, we start to encourage a culture that blames female victims of sexual harassment and assault. Of course, this is ridiculous, rape existed before the mini skirt, and no woman is ever ‘asking for it’.
Every woman should have the right to walk down the street wearing whatever she chooses without fear of being harassed. When was the last time you saw a group of women whistle at a lone man walking down the street in shorts?
That’s right, probably never. A woman should never be told that she was ‘asking for the attention’ because she chose to wear shorts on a hot day.
In an age where there is massive social pressure on women to look perfect, we must always remember that beauty does not equal happiness. If we want to be truly happy we must seek to enrich our lives in other ways; to quote actress Lupita Nyongo: “ You can’t rely on your looks to sustain you”.
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When the wealth gap is rapidly increasing between the rich and poor, why do we blame it on the lowest?
Whilst society is encouraging us to dress more provocatively and to add to our ever-increasing beauty regimes, it is simultaneously punishing us for doing so. Women who choose to wear revealing clothing, or act in a certain way, are often referred to as sluts, particularly by other women.