Unrealistic Beauty Standards

Written By Lily Elcan

Photography By Hal Lueking

Modeled By Lily Elcan & Madison Clayburn

“You’re too hairy,” “You should put on some makeup,” “You dress too provocatively,” “You have too many piercings,” “Cover up your tattoos,” “You should workout,” “You should eat more;" the list goes on and on. 

The list of unrealistic beauty standards society has put on women is nearly infinite. The models in this shoot were portrayed as dolls in plastic boxes. They look picture perfect, just as society thinks. They wear modest, muted colored clothing with plenty of fabric covering their chests, only wearing light makeup. Their hair is naturally colored with simple, yet elegant hairstyles. They don’t have anything on that would make them stand out too much, as drawing too much attention from others would be unflattering. The models are expressionless, but hold so much emotion behind their eyes. Women have been so conditioned by society that being “stuck” in a box became normal. When you are told to sit still and look pretty your whole life, you become forced to find some comfort in the patriarchal, misogynistic society we live in.  

Why is there so much pressure put on women to look a certain way? There are so many unrealistic beauty standards society has placed on women, and it causes much more harm than good. Originating centuries ago, in Greece and Rome, Western beauty standards were born. It was a heavy weight the world placed on women. Although beauty standards started thousands of years ago, racism, capitalism, and the media have heavily influenced where beauty came from and how it evolved. The damaging beauty ideals and standards are dangerous and toxic, showing to have very negative effects. So many women believe they have to be “perfect” just to survive in this overly critical world. Perfectionism is when you strive to be flawless and put unattainably high expectations on yourself which, in turn, prevents you from trying new things. We grow by getting out of our comfort zones, so when that doesn’t happen, we get stuck in a cycle of never feeling good enough because “perfect” is impossible.   

Women are not supposed to be put in boxes. We are not Barbie dolls—and never will be—so defying society’s standards is how we learn to love our true, authentic selves. If you want to put on a full face of makeup, do it. If you are hungry, eat a meal. If you don’t want to shave, then don’t.