How can we change society's standards?

Question

There are so many standards that society has for us, and it all is categorized by our gender.

I believe women have it the hardest. In order to be accepted in all places we must be very beautiful and thin. It's a serious problem because it is causing women to hurt themselves physcially by trying to be that person society wants us to be. Women will go through great lengths to be as beautiful as she can be, even if she is already beautiful. Women will stave themselves, become bolimic, and even have plastic surgury and still they don't feel like they are worth the good comments made about their apperance.

It's not just women. Men have the same problems in a different way. In order for them to be accepted by society they should be musclier (not puney), have little bodyfat, and be handsome. This is causing men to take serious measures themselves. They'll begin taking steroids or even they will have plastic surgury, which can hurt them.

Our standards are what causing women and men alike to do things to their bodies that can end up killing them. We look at people like Nicole Richie who is 80 pounds with discust but society is what has caused her to be that way. Theres other women just like her, but since she's in the spotlight we can all see it. If she becomes fat, we criticize, if she becomes thin, we criticize, so what's left? Depression.

Now my question is what can our society do as a whole to get rid of these standards and save lives as we know it?

Answer 1

Can't agree with your conclusion that womern have to be all that you mentioned-think back through history up to present day-You may be too young to know of Eleanore Roosevelt-a most physcially unattractive woman but a most admired woman of her time and a role model if ever there was one.

Women in politics, the arts, science,etc. have been less than slim. Possibly times have changed a lot since they were on the scene because of the hype of what we are expected to be by today's "standards".

What we need to be is what God created us to be-loving,nurturing,successful (the bible mentions such women,i.e. Lydia), etc.-nothing was said about physical attributes-proverbs gives great guide-lines of what she should be and if she were those things, what a world this would be-how differently our children would be brought up.

You are letting "society",i.e. other people, try and dictate what you have to be to be accepted today. Hogwash! You have a brain-be what you can be,not what others say you have to be because if you go down that slippery slope, you will be miserable and never measure up because someone else will be better,prettier,thinner,and all that garbage!. That is NOT where it is at or what life is about!

Answer 2

i do not imagine the appropriate body ascertain has replaced a lot. Yea, there are more suitable skinny human beings interior the generic public eye than ever previously yet, i do not imagine they supply an precise diagnosis of whats maximum pleasing. i imagine the appropriate woman of average properly (5' 6"ish) will be round 135lbsish and extremely athletic. If something i'm surprised those ladies can get so skinny... it cant be organic... they must be sitting round starving all day.... in the experience that they are getting healthful foodstuff is it even feasible to be below 120??? i imagine the perfect degree is BMI (body mass index). in the experience that your interior the healthful variety, then you offered nothin to rigidity about!

Answer 3

Ok. First, it is very obtuse to believe tha society has set standards based on GENDER along. That is asinine. Many standards are set in gender based roles, but just as many are not. Next, of course you believe that women have it the hardest, you are a woman. Women always have that "why is the world against me" and "I do everything around here, and no one appreciates me" martyr attitude. I would love to be proved wrong on this, but I have yet to meet a female who did not have this belief. And, as a woman, again, you feel you have it worst because you see everything from the 1st person point of view, and you are on the outside looking in regarding everyone else.

Now to address your issue: I do not know a man one who thinks that a woman HAS to be beautiful and think to have an interest in them. Obviously, each man has different taste. I worked with a guy who loved big women. That is what he is attracted to. The biggest thing about large women, from a male prespective is that they should learn to dress to their body type. Big 'ol girls should not wear tight jeans and shirts that show belly - under any circumstances. Just using this as an example. My wife and I have a friend, who is a little overweight. She is not morbidly obese, but she is a big healthy girl. However, she dresses very classy, nice, and appropriate for her body build. I have never heard anyone speak negatively about her regarding her build. I think her style has alot to do with that. Additionally, about her, she is comfortable with herself, with her choices and that makes a big difference in the way she presents herself.

Now, also, I think it is not society that sets the standards for us - well, OK, it does to a point, but let me say this. I think that women beat themselves about every thing, that they should not. For instance, if a girl was born brunette, she wants to be blond. Blonds want to be red-heads, if your hair is straight, you curl it, if your hair is curly, you straighten it. If you have brown eyes, you get contacts to have blue (which EVERY one can tell are fake, BTW), if you have blue eyes, you get contacts so they are green. If you are big breasted, you always want to have smaller ones, if you are small chested you want bigger ones. It just does not make logical sense. I have some very, very beautiful female friends, and they are always jacking with the way they look.

Next, I don't know a man one, who would not date a woman, talk to a woman etc. simply because she had small breasts, or a big butt, or a little more weight than they is there ideal perfect woman. The belief that men think that way is absurd, and that belief is also what causes women to be so hard on themselves regarding appearance.

regarding men: i have never looked like an abercrombie model, don't want to. I have always been a hefty sized guy, and have a stunning wife and 2 beautiful kids. And frankly, give 2 rats-asses what anyone other than my wife and kids think about my appearance.

Answer 4

I don't believe that society is responsible as there are far more average looking people out there that are content to be what they are. Proportionally I'm certain a very small percentage of the earths population is as vein as the people to which your refer. However if you want to take away some pressure for the minority that cannot be happy with themselves as they are, well only way is through education. Just like racism, no way to stop it but you can make people aware they have a problem.

Answer 5

Women do not have it the hardest. They get special gov't funding. They can scream discrimination if they don't like what happens to them. they can take six weeks off when having a baby but the dad can't. They can demand special time off during the day at work to pump their nursing breasts. They tend use more sick days than men and no one seems to care.

Answer 6

Probaly the best thing to do is to accept your self and ignore societies standards, well at least the ones that make no sense like women should look like barbie.

Answer 7

Since we set the standards ourselves, we can change them personally. Teach your children, friends, neighbors, family etc the things you think matter and I am sure they will at least consider your point of view. The collective changes almost one person at a time. Good luck!

Answer 8

"Society" does not cause Nicole Richie or other anorexics to starve themselves. The ones who go to extremes have mental disorders. Likewise for men who feel compelled to "over" exercise and under-eat, or use steroids.



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Answer 9

Are you judging people by their looks? pretty is, as pretty does. even if you are beautiful, there is always someone more so. when you are happy within it shows on the outside. Society is the world, we are in the world. we are within the world, we are the world. it changes with you. it changes when each one of us take responsibility.

Answer 10

Do away with Hollywood