too much pressure

Do any other women feel like there is so much pressure to look good and perfect nowadays?
I try not to worry about it but sometimes when you see these 'perfect' celebrities and look in mens magazines full of naked beautiful ladies with big fake boobs it's difficult not to feel inferior to them. It sucks because I don't want to look like them at all but it's just hard when it seems like sometimes you have to look a certain way to be percieved beautiful. i'm really trying to avoid this stuff now, but it's so difficult not to feel pressured! hmm...

 

its not real though....like you said, you see them in the magazines, how many of your friends or people you encounter day to day look like that?? i'm guessing not many, if none at all.
i know its easy to internalize what's seemingly valued as "beautiful" in pop. culture but its bullshit. i think its most important to keep being critical of what you see in regards to the media and body image and hopefully you'll come to realize that beauty cannot be defined as a set way of looking. beauty is not uniform.

 

Those celebertys are all high matinence, self oriented, greedy, monsters of society. You don't need to feel inferior to them. Sure guys love them more with thier dicks than you, but it who guys love with their heads that matters, assuming the guy is using his head and not his dick, which most guys don't.

They are so narcissistic that they spend thousands of dollars on surgerys to look that way.

Its all a lie. A picture can't tell you anything about a persons personality. I bet if you spent 5 minutes with one of them you would be sick of them after 2.

People who value looks over intelligence and atheleticism can take their looks and see how happy they are trying to satisfy people.

You can never satisfy a person with your looks, they will always want more, judge harder, see something else that looks better, but you can easily satisfy people with your intelligence and endurance.

 

I know just from looking at a glance that women have way too much pressure about their looks. It's very sad.

Don't feel inferior to all the self-obsessed hoochies. One day they (should) realize and understand a bigger picture.

 

Sure, I'll admit to it. I feel pressured. As a perfectionist, I'm never satisified with myself.

 

Totally agree with Green


I can see how oppressive the influence is, and that many women scumber to it. So sad.

Personally though it doesn't affect me. Beauty is such a trivia subjective impermanent thing. I've enough intelligence and self esteem to see beyond it.

No damn way would I feel inferior to them, I'm not inferior to anyone!
We're all in this world for diffrent reasons, and mine is not to live up to some 'idea de jour' of beauty and exploit that. Any more than there's is to write and use their intellect.

If any guy can't see beyond that, well his loss. If anything I appreciate it, helps save time when weeding out the losers unworthy of my time and attentions.

 

Nope.

In the days when you couldn't work so you needed to snab a man, yeah there was pressure.

But now, with fat acceptance, role models like Ricki Lake, etc. and the fact that you can pretty much take or leave men, enh! Eat if ya wanna.

 

For me its not much to do with weight but I'm sure lots of women feel pressured about this. I'm not sure what it is really, the perfect hair, teeth, face,, skin etc.
Anyway last night i was feeling a bit down about my appearance (even though in the scheme of things i know its not imoprtant) so I was feeling a bit annoyed with it all. I still think there's a lot of pressure though. Damn you evil celebrities!! hehheh

 

yes, the pressure is there if you want it. But why would you want it in the first place? these celebrity people are manufactured creatures, a product of stylist, make up people, photographers, etc etc They are a product, simple as that.

The other day I was developing the following thought, after reading "the beauty myth" by naomi wolf (i strongly reccommend you read this!)

People - majority fits certain characteristics that are considered as "average" (hence denominated as "average")

--->marketing and advertising know this --> the way they appeal is through visual means (show products)

Company ---> needs to sell its products? HOW? (help from marketing)

how do marketing help companies? --> MODELS: people with particular physical attributes, not considered "average" -- what pop culture defines as "beauty"

WHY? simply because we want people to believe they will look like the models used in the campaigns if they buy our products - people are not happy with y#their appearance, we tell them they are not "beautiful" enough by shoving them with creams, beauty products, etc..these make companies earn millions...

so, PEOPLE ARE INSECURE ABOUT THIS...LET'S EXPLOIT THAT!

----> people buy products = COMPANY GETS RICH RICH RICH!!

ok, i dont want to sound like a marxist nutter, but it's all about capitalism. Pop culture and capitalism are so linked to each other, it's not rocket science. anyway, i could go on and on about what i think about issue but I only want to say that you dont need to feel pressured to conform to something that it's not a reality, I think there are far more important things in life than being worried about looking "perfect, fitting a certain ideal...when you can create your own ideal, based on what you think it's beautiful, create your own style, feel at easy with what you have...dont you think that's waaay more positive and empowering than trying to look like a plastic doll?

love xxx

 

Yes, absolutely. It's not just an issue revolving around weight, it's everything. Hair, teeth, face, nose lips, legs, hips, breasts, lack of height...you just don't feel like you can ever measure up to some of those celebrities. And yes, I know most of it is fake, but I can't help but feel not as good about myself when I'm confronted with some of the images revolving around the glossy Hollywood society.

To love myself for who I am, I would give anything to be able to do that, unfortunately, I have the drive to be perfect, which is simply possible.

 

I'm not trying to look like a plastic doll or to conform or look like them at all, I'm just saying that I think there is definately a pressure to look a certain way and it's difficult for a lot of women. I dress how I want and have my own style but I still feel pressured.
There was a thread a while ago here about what you'd like to change about yourself or what you dislike about your body which a lot of people replied to so I really think that most women are affected by it whether they realise it or not. It's difficult not to be when it's all around you.

 

I wasn't implying that you want to look like a plastic doll, i was only making a general point, not directly at you. I do understand your position, i'm right there with you during those days when i feel ugly.... but I've question this feeling so many times and come to conclude that this feeling is something imagined. I think as women, we grow up to find defects about ourselves. It's everywhere you look, particularly nowdays, it's all about image, the body as a cult....

there are many thing I always thought i'd change about myself but I've come to realise that there's no point. There are people who are handicaped and they still live fulfilling lives and are happy about themselves, so why should I feel "inferior" to people who, well, might be prettier than I am in society's standard, when my arms, legs, internal organs, sight, hearing, etc are working normally, perfectly, I can breath on my own, i can run..... shouldn't I be happy that I can do anything because the body that i have allows me to do all that? on top of that, finding your individuality, your esence, everything that makes you who you are...isnt all that enough reasons to think about how important and beautful you are... your health and intelligence!

The main point i wanted to make is that the pressure DOES exist, but only YOU can negotiage the ways in which you let this pressure be a big deal in your life. I learned how to do this by looking beyond what's in front of me and have actually come to terms with the fact that I'm this way for a reason and letting myself feel pressured by all this won't make me any happy. and i want to be happy

 

I feel that way sometimes, and getting older, (I'm in my 40's), I get to add all that ageism to it. It is not a serious concern of mine, but in a culture that tends to value skinny over fat, glamorous over natural, young over old, it is hard to always feel accepting of oneself. Perhaps that is the exciting part of it all..challenging oneself to see the beauty in whoever we are, to disregard the status quo, and accept a beautiful self, as is, in the face of what society says we should be. I ain't there yet, but I'm working on it!!

 

i used to feel a lot of pressure to conform. i used to try really hard. i seem to be missing that key awareness that makes "fashion sense" possible. so i gave up. i've never been happier.

 

Perfectionism is a very bad thing, because in order for one person to be more perfect than another, you must make a judgement agianst that person. People prefer the people they consider to look more perfect, and almost everybody is a critic. This leads to excluding people from society, which is the reason why we have so many suicides, ect...

Teens spend years strugging with mental issues and then people reject them, so they kill themselves, which is really depressing.

People who are diseased, they will have many problems come from your obesity. Obesity is in almost all of the obese people a preventable disease, such as smoking is preventable. I don't judge obese people. I just think that they have choosen to give themselves a disease. I brought this up because people think others are shallow when they reject obese people, some are shallow, but others aren't. Many people on this thread are talking about pressures from society.

You don't have to eat 1 leaf of salad for dinner, but please don't have a big mac with a half gallon of coke and extra large fries.

 

well, there is a lot of pressure for men too. I swear i've seen more half naked men lining the streets of new york billboards than women.

Anyways, i dont see the huge problem with it.

First off, your average America is overweight. Should we have fat victoria secret models? God no

Also, whats wrong with portraying 'the beautiful(alright, not all of them are, but a lot are).' Do we want to emulate the ordinary or worse, slothful?

This is nothing new, it is part of western culture. Greeks/romans made sculptures of men with perfect bodies..godlike image. It is part of what makes western culture work. We are always try to attain something better and we dont settle for mediocre. While some(well lots) of models have taken it to an extremely sickening proportions..the idea that we shouldnt fantasize or want something more than ordinary is scary. Perfection has driven improvement. We have democracy and ideals like freedom and equality because of our pursuit of perfection. Attaining perfection is what drives western culture and westerners. Without it, we would be sad, sad people.

 

First off, your average America is overweight. Should we have fat victoria secret models? God no- How 'bout no models at all?

Also, whats wrong with portraying 'the beautiful(alright, not all of them are, but a lot are).' Do we want to emulate the ordinary or worse, slothful?- How 'bout not at atll?

This is nothing new, it is part of western culture. Greeks/romans made sculptures of men with perfect bodies..godlike image. It is part of what makes western culture work. We are always try to attain something better and we dont settle for mediocre. While some(well lots) of models have taken it to an extremely sickening proportions..the idea that we shouldnt fantasize or want something more than ordinary is scary.- We've taken it to the point of greed.

 

nope. i look however the fuck i want to. cuz my boyfriend loves me however i look. he actually PREFERS me without makeup and messy,wavy hair. sometimes i feel like putting in effort but most of the time, i just go with the natural look and still think i look pretty in some way its all about confidence ladies

 

First off,

All of those magazine covers are airbrushed and touched up.Models and actresses even have inches sheared from them in those pictures. TV does a good job hiding any flaws. HDTV however will show all and every flaw you have...so hasta lavista edited beauty. Quit blaming models and actresses for those "harmful" pictures...it isn't them, it's the people behind the production.

Secondly,

The average model stands 5'8" and the average actress is 5'6". Those are hardly unusual measurements...especially since the average american woman stands about 5'7". As for weight, yes there are some skinny actresses. Very skinny actresses who probably don't eat very much or are on some radical diet but most are probably just blessed with a good metabolism and get off their asses to exercise. Their weight is probably the correct BMI for their height.

For example, Jennifer Love Hewitt has been criticized for her weight.This despite the fact that she isn't that thin. She's friggin 5'2"!! She'd be unhealthy to be 150 pounds. She probably weighs about 105 pounds which is the correct weight for her height.

The problem with our society isn't the fashion industry or Hollywood. It's the average person's inability to accept personal responsibility for their own problems. You sit on your ass, eating Fritos and drinking soda...you gain 50 pounds. Why should Hollywood shift it's image to facilitate the ever-lazy and widening-asses of America?

Put down the chips and beer, step away from couch, jog, go for a hike. Don't hiss at Eva Longoria for being petite and rich.

 

Some of the most beautiful women in the world are overweight, saggin' boobie, stressed out natural mamas. Celeb's pictures are edited and computer enhanced to make them look better. Real women(and men) are the ones who are beautiful.