Iconic Images and Their Degradation of the Female Gender

This idea was brought to my attention tonight as I spoke with three friends of mine about varying issues of the female gender. These three friends are all of that gender, and all three of them were talking to me about different angles of life, and their individual pursuits of happiness. As I listened, and discussed differing ideas during this conversation, as well as drawing from a general overall read of girls as of recently, I discovered that there is a general disposition of the female gender that somehow indicates that they are "not good enough" and that they aren't what they are supposed to be, which causes a general outlook of pessimism. Though that looks like a long run-on sentence, that's exactly how it's come across as it's been looked at.

I've pondered this idea for a long time. Why do girls have this idea that they are not good enough? If anything, guys should be the ones that have this outlook- girls have amazing traits: the ability to care, the ability to love, the capacity to heal. Guys don't have these traits in general. The female gender in itself makes these creatures remarkable. Creatures isn't the right word. Women in general have the overall ability to be better. Their inner beauty, and abilities far surpass that of the male gender, but, for centuries, men have ruled the world. They have had control of what women think, how they dress, how they are "supposed" to look, etc.

Because of this male pressure, women feel like they have to meet the requirements set, or they won't be able to receive the attention that they want. Marilyn Monroe was a key part in the current movement of iconic imagery. Women since Marilyn have felt as though they have to match up to her style, and her scanty amount of robage. It's been a down-hill trend, and continues to curb downwards. Very few people can escape the inadequacy they feel when they are being compared to the icons of the world.

However, this iconic imagery, displayed through television, movies, music, pictures, tumblr, etc. has literally degraded the outlook of females on the world today. Very few females that I have talked to in the past 3 years are happy with who they are. Granted, there are many struggles in the world; monetary issues, familial problems, work, and others- but the iconic imagery generated by the media is a social norm that degrades the ability of females to see themselves as what they can be, and what they are. Instead of looking in the mirror, and seeing the goodness, and the incredible accomplishments they have met, they compare themselves to that imagery, and can't seem to find the comparisons.

There is not a single reason that anybody should feel inadequate. Comparisons aren't fair to anybody. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder- beauty can be seen in any sense, and any light. Just because the world thinks that everyone should look like media-worshipped unrealistically built stars doesn't mean it's required. There is so much more in the world that matters than looks, and gaudy prowess. Life is more than a dog-eat-dog competition to be the most beautiful. Life is meant to discover who we are- deciding who we want to be, what we want our legacy to be, and how we want to be remembered, and then going out and doing it.

So this is my message to all the girls in the world, and I hope many will see it. Don't let anyone else tell you what, and who you should be ever again. There is so much ability, and capability in each and every one of you. Beauty isn't a general decision, it's an action, and it's created by you. Love who you are, and love will find you.

--Brack