G.I.R.L.S.: Girls in Real Life Struggle
A new mother and father are in a delivery room and after an intense delivery these new parents hear the doctor exclaim, “It’s a girl!” Right then the mother is swarmed with ideas of pinks, purples, bows, and cute little dresses. Then they are handed a beautiful baby, a pink bundle of joy. The pressure on a girl’s appearance starts from the moment the doctor says, “It’s a girl!”, and she is seen all bundled and wrapped up in a pink blanket. There is too much pressure on girls’ appearances, which as a result is affecting the confidence, health, and self-esteem of young women. There are a multitude of things that are influencing these issues but the main ones are the media, bullying, and stereotypical gender roles that are taught to girls at an early age.
One of the biggest problems is how the media is constantly promoting an unrealistic body image. Teenage girls are heavily influenced by what they see in magazines and advertisements. And when all they ever see is the tall and skinny model type on every cover and billboard, they can’t help but to pressure themselves to try and fit that certain image and look. A good example of this is Victoria’s Secret commercials. The models for those advertisements are exactly that, models, tall, skinny, and long-legged, and it doesn’t help the average girl’s confidence or self-esteem much with them walking around in just undergarments and flaunting their “perfect” bodies the whole commercial. The media needs to start showing all body types because realistically all people cannot be 5”8’ with long legs and tiny little waists. Some people’s genes just don’t allow it. On top of trying to stay fit and skinny, girls also strive to have flawless smooth skin like they see being promoted all the time in the media. But what the media doesn’t tell their viewers is how a lot of photo shoots and advertisements undergo a lot of photoshopping and editing before appearing in magazines. A great example of this is a front cover photo of Jessica Simpson’s very pregnant belly on a magazine. She looked flawless, no stretch marks or imperfections. That photo was obviously photoshopped and edited because it is just not realistic, and anyone that has carried a child will most likely say the same thing. After a couple saw the statistics from the Dove Self-Esteem Fund, they have begun to push for the Self Esteem Act to be passed in the US, to protect children and teenagers from unrealistic ideas when it comes to body image. If this bill is passed, it would regulate the digital retouching of models in magazines and advertisements (Abraham 1). And as if that isn’t enough pressure being put on girls, plastic surgery, botox injections, and liposuction are also being used to enhance celebrities outer-appearances, which puts more pressure on girls because a lot of females look up to celebrities as role models for fashion and appearance tips and advice. All these physical procedures are very costly and most girls cannot afford to have these cosmetic surgeries and enhancements done to their bodies. According to healthnews.com, a total of 10 million cosmetic surgery procedures were performed in the US in 2008 alone, generating revenue of $10.29 billion (Far). However, even with all these pressures to look a certain way, girls are also being pressured to act a certain way. Music lyrics and music videos promote degrading and submissive female roles. They suggest that girls should dress and dance in a provocative and promiscuous manner. If people are accepting to this, then society is pretty much ok with making women feel below men just because of their gender, and having women feel like just an object and symbol for sex. Women should be treated with respect just like any other human being. They shouldn’t be told by society that it’s ok to be looked at like a piece of meat for men to devour.
Another thing that sometimes pushes girls too far when it comes to their appearances is bullying. The internet and social networking sites have made it a lot more convenient for bullying to occur, which not only allows terrible rumors and lies to spread at a quicker rate, but it also makes it harder for girls to get away from all the teasing and tormenting about how they look. People will say horrible things in person but over the internet they say even harsher comments because they feel untouchable. With the internet acting as a barrier and without thinking about what they say, they become crueler. Many girls have committed suicide or self-harm over these mean comments and bullying. A lot of the peer pressure gets to the girls and it causes them to think they aren’t good enough, so they attempt to change, just to fit in. This severely affects girls’ confidence and self-esteem.
Maybe girls wouldn’t be so concerned with their appearances if stereotypical gender roles weren’t forced on them as children. At an early age girls are taught to care about how they look and act. For instance, many young girls look up to princesses from fairy tales and movies. The main traits a princess has is being beautiful, submissive, proper, and “girly”, for a lack of better words. Another example is how items in the toy aisles at stores are separated by gender. In the girl aisles there are Barbies, baby dolls, dress up clothes that look identical to what princesses wear, Easy-Bake ovens, little shopping carts and toy food items, make-up kits, and cute stuffed animals. That list speaks for itself; it shows how stereotypical gender roles are already being enforced on young girls. Girls are taught to be just like their moms. Barbies and baby dolls are used for playing house and girls are taught to take care of their dolls like real babies. They are taught how to hold, feed, burp, and change the doll. The dress up clothes goes to the previous point about how young girls see princesses as role models. The Easy-Bake ovens and shopping toys insinuate the degrading concept of how women belong at home in the kitchen to cook and clean. And the make-up kits are a great example for how girls are taught to care about their looks at an early age. These stereotypical gender roles are where the pressure on girls’ appearances and actions start.
The effects of all the pressure put on girls are extremely negative. Many girls develop eating disorders, such as bulimia and anorexia, while trying to stay thin. Not only are these disorders hard to overcome, they are also health hazards that can and do result in fatalities. All the pressure of trying to fit society’s idea of what is considered the “perfect” image also causes lowered self-confidence, lowered self-esteem, and depression. According to research done by Dove Self-Esteem Fund, 71 percent of girls with low self-esteem felt their appearance didn’t measure up, including not feeling pretty, thin, stylish, or trendy enough (Abraham 2). This pressure is also causing children to try and grow up faster. A perfect example of this is the show Toddlers and Tiaras, which is a show about beauty pageants for children. There is a lot of controversy about this show because of all the things these toddlers go through to win. Many are spray tanned, have faces covered with make-up, and have over the top hair dos; some even dress a little skimpy. Kindergarteners are even starting to wear make-up to school now. And when this pressure becomes unbearable it sadly can also result in self-harm and suicide.
There is too much pressure on girls’ appearances which has become a very big problem throughout the world. There are many factors that contribute to this problem, however, the main ones are the media, bullying, and stereotypical gender roles that are taught to girls at an early age. Not only is it becoming a huge problem but it is also having devastating effects on girls’ confidence, health, and self-esteem. It is time to stand up to help put an end to this problem. The future of girls’ confidence, health, and self-esteem depend on society’s help to end this tremendous pressure. Marilyn Monroe was definitely onto something when she said, “To all the girls that think you’re fat because you’re not a size zero, you’re the beautiful one, its society who’s ugly.” (Monroe).
Works Cited
Abraham, Tamara. "The Self Esteem Act: Parents Push for Anti-Photoshop Law in U.S. to Protect Teens from Unrealistic Body Image Ideals." Online posting. Mail Online. N.p., 12 Oct. 2011. Web. 01 Apr. 2013. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2048375/Self-Esteem-Act-US-parents-push-anti-Photoshop-laws-advertising.html>.
Far, Vily. "Plastic Surgery: History, Facts and Celebrities." HubPages. N.p., 28 Feb. 2010. Web. 01 Apr. 2013. <http://vilyfar.hubpages.com/hub/Plastic-Surgery-History-Facts-and Celebrities>.
Monroe, Marilyn. "“To All the Girls That Think You're Fat Because You're Not a Size Zero, You're the Beautiful One, Its Society Who's Ugly.”." Goodreads. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2013. <http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/524215-to-all-the-girls-that-think-you-re-fat-because-you-re>.
