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Face Value

Face Value

There is no doubt that physical beauty is a highly-valued quality in our culture.   Whether we wish to believe it or not, appearance is the first layer of our character, and people pass judgments on us based on this superficial aspect of our bodies.   In spite of our many proverbs: “Never judge a book by its cover,”   “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,”   “Beauty is only skin deep;” we are constantly told, through literature and the media, that our outer shell determines our value.

The beauty myth is the conventionalized, mass-marketed idea of female attractiveness as thin and flawless. It surrounds and bombards women and young, impressionable girls with “perfect images” that they should strive to attain as they search for an image to identify with. The scope of these images can appear in a variety of avenues that we are confronted with everyday such as: magazines, advertising and television.   The women displayed in these images are often unrealistic translations of women.   The constant exposure to idealized images of female beauty makes exceptionally good looks seem normal and anything short of perfection, seem abnormal and ugly. This overemphasis on the ‘ideal’ image of female beauty leaves women feeling inadequate and unworthy, as they fail to achieve these unrealistic standards.  

Girls of a much younger age are now feeling the pressure to obtain societies version of female beauty.   As more super-skinny, “waif,” models grace the pages of fashion magazines, they influence the self-image and determine the self-worth of the young, impressionable girls who read them. However, not just the media teaches young girls about beauty and body image, as they often look to the women around them for influence and guidance. Young girls listen to the way many women talk about themselves and each other, and learn the language of ‘beauty’. Young people can only learn to accept their bodies if they see those around them who accept theirs. Every discussion...