Lord, if I can’t be skinny, please let my friends be fat! In today’s modern world, this society places too much emphasis on appearance. Many believe that they should be perceived as a toy doll, with no faults or flaws. The perception of appearance makes many feel insecure with their bodies, entices them to spend millions of dollars on products to enhance their image, and builds up prejudice in an individual. Barbie dolls are plastic, not real.
Many people have unfortunately become victims of the outstanding pressures to look gorgeous, thin, and fashionable. This statement has caught along with a vast majority of individuals, who become quite apprehensive with their bodies, because they sincerely believe it lacks the picture-perfect image. Quite a few people are increasingly influenced by images viewed in the media. From hit TV shows, to movie stars, to fashion models in magazines, to billboard ads, a lot of individuals wonder why they can’t have the same hot body like their desired celebrity, especially pre-teen girls. As many as one-third of girls aged 10 to 14 are trying to lose weight, according to research at The Hospital for Sick Children. Another symptom of a lack of self-esteem is mild depression, which may eventually lead up to suicidal thoughts if not treated.
The Self-Esteem Institute claims, ” Low self-esteem is actually a thinking disorder in which an individual views himself as inadequate, unworthy, unlovable, and/or incompetent. Once formed, this negative view of self permeates every thought, producing faulty assumptions, and ongoing self-defeating behavior. ” At sometime, the individual may become anti-social, and will begin to withdraw fromsociety.
This is because they don’t have the social skills required, and simply can’t fit in with the public. It is mind boggling how our physical aspect plays a role on our emotions. Consequently, it can also puts a dent in our wallets. To keep up with the persona of looking appealing, people spend large amounts of money to enhance or change their physical image.
In today’s day and age, teenagers feel the need that they have to incorporate popular, overrated brand names, into their everyday attire. In schools, wars over designer products are intensifying, commonly between females. In many schools, the most expensive designer goods, such as those by Chanel or Louis Vuitton, have the highest social ranking amongst girls. But popular teen brands such as American Eagle, Abercrombie ; Fitch and Aeropostale are also important. An American Eagle t-shirt usually costs $25, where a much similar looking shirt from Walmart costs around $12.
It is astonishing how stigma merchandise influences our train of thought. Apparently, these small fitted clothes are worth big money, but it only gets more extreme. Plastic surgery is another option many choose because they may be unhappy with their overall image. However, a simple incision is very expensive. According to PlasticSurgeryStatisics. com, in year 2003 in Ontario, women spent 180.
6 million dollars on embellishing their image, while men spent 30. 6 million. Not only is the plastic surgery business at large, so too is the makeup industry. Cosmetics are substances used to augment certain aspects of the human body. With their widespread use, they are making tons of money off consumers, especially today now that society is places close attention to appearance.
According to Wikipedia, the worldwide annual expenditures for cosmetics is estimated at $19 billion. This amount is tremendous. To apprehend that our world is spending money on these features is inept, especially when this cash could be used for other crucial purposes. Appearance impacts how one looks, but also how one is perceived and carries themselves. It is a proven fact that attractive people are treated better than an average looking human. This statement is upsetting, but is legitimate across the entire globe.
In the recent 2008 Summer Olympic games in Beijing, medalists who were the most attractive were the only competitors used for endorsements. Such disturbing decisions like this, prove that the society is infelicitous when it comes to appearance. All medalists should be treated the same, especially if they are all successful in the summer events. This goes to say, that beautiful people make it further in life than the less fascinating. In an article by The Independent, sources revealed that beautiful people earn 12% more than Ugly Betty’s. The researchers claimed beautiful people tend to be in more successful teams because other team members are more co-operative in the presence of beautiful people.
This demonstrates that not only are pretty people not just pleasing on the eye, it seems they are also wealthier, more successful, and much easier to communicate with. To make matters more offensive, People magazine has a full page spread on ‘ The 50 Most Beautiful People. ‘ This hurts the feelings of readers because it makes us sense that we have to look exactly like them to look stunning, and to gain admiration and attention. In a way, the magazine is being disrespectful, and negative towards peruser, which reduces a person’s ability to develop good self-esteem.
It is amplifying to know that a variety of factors can influence our personal, physical outlook that we place onto ourselves, and the individuals that surround us. The ideal human body that society envisions, thrusts low self-esteem upon ourselves, engages people to spend loads of cash on products to elevate one’s physique, and increases the amount of discrimination we tend to carry. Although some options are preposterous, if it makes the individual feel better about themselves, this is all that matters. However, it is unfortunate that the society places too much attention on demeanor, in general.
It is difficult to say, but it seems that nobody will ever be satisfied. On the other hand, it would be magnificent if everyone could accept themselves for who they are, and how they were created. Remember, how things look on the outside of us, depends on how things are on the inside of us.
