Nikole McGee

Mrs. Stanford
ENG 124
19 December 2016
Unattainable Standards Set by Society
We want to see a staircase around your lungs, we want to hang ornaments from your
collarbone. the morbid image that this quote by Sierra Demulder paints is one that encompasses
the frightening reality that society can create. It is not hard to get sucked into the vicious cycle of
changing societal standards. Just like people, society goes through phases that are good and bad,
and the phase we are in right now does not seem too pleasant. Societal standards have a huge
affect on the mental and physical health of the people that live in it. The standards set for women
in our society are not only unfair but may also be unhealthy and detrimental to achieving the
ultimate goal of any American: the American Dream.
Women today face many problems regarding how they should present themselves. In the
way of physical standards women are often harshly criticized about the size of their waist, the
amount of makeup they apply, and the clothes (or lack of clothes) that they wear. Being small,
petite, and especially thin are all qualities that meet the standards

of the word feminine and can

lead to self esteem and even health issues in the lives of thicker women. What exactly caused this
shift from the once thick standard to a thin one isnt exactly clear but it is extremely clear that
there indeed has been a shift. In an article titled "Possible Causes Of The Thin Standard Of
Bodily Attractiveness For Women." Brett Silverstein analyzes the history of standards for bodily
attractiveness and their changes. As time goes by it is evident throughout the timeline that the

standard became thinner and thinner. In the past having some meat on your bones meant you
were healthy and beautiful, radiant even but that image has changed into a skinny small
feministic woman who may or may not be healthy depending on how they came to be so small.
Being overweight is not encouraged, for it too has its unhealthy downfalls but the newly
developed epitome of a womans body doesnt exactly promote a healthy woman either.
Even more shocking, the standard of being thin has spread to the size and shape of a
womans face. Today contouring is one of the most famous trends on social media, it creates the
illusion that a womans face is shiny and smooth, thin even. If a woman is unaware of how to
perfectly apply winged eyeliner she is considered ugly and uneducated. Those who do not wear
makeup at all are apparently careless about their hygiene, or are even mistaken as being sick. The
thing that is truly sick is the message that society sends in order to make profit, that women are
ugly without the possession of modern materialistic views on life. This standard of beauty is one
that conceals a womans real face and hides it behind an all too expensive product, leading
women to believe that their faces are meant to be covered, too ugly to be seen. Women are
trained to hide their true forms behind the form that American society creates for them in more
ways than just the use of makeup but also the jobs they are assigned to, the decisions they are
meant to make and especially the clothes that they are expected to wear.
Not only are women criticized by their weight, they are also criticized by the clothes they
sport. Fashion trends are constantly changing with the times and it seems that they become more
scandalous every year. In the past it was inappropriate for a women to show the skin of her
ankles, let alone her stomach. However, today it is easy for a woman to get away with solely
covering her private parts and receiving no judgement, while it may seem like a good thing that

judgement has decreased it seems to have increased in other aspects. Today women are judged
not by the lack of what they wear, but the bulk of what they wear. Women who wear turtlenecks,
long sleeves, and long skirts are considered uptight and out of style. This is unfair to women who
have extreme respect for their bodies and fear showing too much. Often women are depicted
wearing belly shirts, short shorts, ripped jeans, and almost translucent leggings. A new trend
coming about is one of the bralette, which replaces a tank top with a fancy bra, exposing
unnecessary amounts of skin. Women are expected, in this aspect, not to hide their skin but
instead to emphasize their physical qualities in order to cover up their inner qualities. A womans
inner qualities is considered, on a seemingly small scale, unattractive which is why women are
encouraged to hide them not only by revealing their bodies but in more subtle ways too, like
settling for behind the scene jobs.
A woman president has yet to be elected. This may not seem like a problem in the way of
personal political views and maybe its not, but the problem is that its uncommon to see a
woman in any position that requires very much addressing of the public. High managing
positions are open for application to all sexes but it seems that no matter how many women
apply for them a male always winds up winning the competition. Its about time someone took
this matter into their own hands. In the article by Donna Evans: "Room At The Top:
Advancement And Equity For Women In The Business World." Evans discussed unequal
distribution of sexes in the workplace and analyzes why this problem occurs. Evans talks about
how men have always been the dominant sex in relation to high political positions because of
their mannerisms. Men are seemingly more natural with ruling and can handle issues calmly
unlike women (this is a false accusation). Evans also discussed the benefits that a woman would

bring to the office, such as unique styles of management and a more sympathetic view of the
workers under them, allowing a woman to be able to analyze compromises more easily. Women
are shamed in various ways, through a body image, a work image, and a moral image as well.
Women are supposed to be seen as holy, because women are natural birth givers of all
human life. For a woman to prohibit the birth of a child through their body is seen, in the
religious world, as a sin, and in the political world, as a murder. Abortion has been an ongoing
controversy for many years now; should it be allowed or deemed illegal, no one knows for sure.
It seems that America cannot come to a unanimous decision and for the most part abortion is
considered legal, however, not without harsh judgement. It is not uncommon to see the lives of
teenage girls shattered due to accidental pregnancies, ruining their chances of going to college
and earning an income to support the new member of her family. Even more often, young girls
who already lack finances to get themselves by as it is, are refused the option of abortion because
they are discriminated against or because they cannot afford the procedure. The article titled
"Abortion: Beyond Rhetoric To Access." by Ellen Freeman analyzes hostilities towards these
young poor women and discusses many statistics that prove the posing problem of refusing
freedom of choice.
It is evident, through the events of history, that women have been deprived of the right to
choose. Since the times of the fight for woman suffrage, women have been granted the right to
vote and along with that achievement they have been granted the ability to work and to make life
choices that they couldnt before. Although women have made many political breakthroughs,
they still often face criticism for the choices they make. Societal standards cause many conflicts
for women, yet not only women face this struggle. Men too are often crushed by the rules of

gender roles in society, as they are characterized as not having feelings, being strong and overall
smarter than women. These accusations of how men should present themselves is just as harsh as
those given to women, however they can overshadowed by the screaming voice of feminists
looking for equality.
Many feminists argue that men have an unfair advantage in political aspects, however
they do not pay much mind to the unfair advantage that women have in societal aspects. Men are
often depicted as having very little emotion, and are expected to be strict and hard headed
whereas women are expected to be very emotional, sweet, and sappy. This forces many men to
hide the feelings that they do indeed have and makes them seem like theyre genuinely angry
people, and this is not true. Many men are falsely blamed for horrific crimes that women
committed, and men as a whole are synonymous with rape, a crime that women have also been
known to commit. Many men will not express that this is an issue because if they acknowledge
that they have emotion they will be considered weak, wimpy, or even considered homosexual.
Men are not only considered weak for expressing emotion in the action of defending themselves,
they are also considered weak for expressing positive emotion whether that be towards an animal
or even a woman. Men who are affectionate publicly to their significant other are labeled as
whipped or not wearing the pants in his relationship. These standards spread to more than
just emotional abuse, they also affect the standard of a mans physical appearance.