Unrealistic Expectations of Women

I can't tell you how many times I have opened up a fashion magazine, listened to adds on the radio, watched commercials on TV, or observed the stereotyping in today's extremely judgmental society and seen the effects that our expectations have had on people, especially young women. There are so many instances throughout the course of everyday life, that I feel expected to live vicariously through the body of a Victoria's Secret model. I can only wonder how many others feel this way as well.

I was recently leafing through the pages of the 2002 Sport's Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, and within a matter of five minutes, I was majorly downing my body and my looks. I couldn't help but compare my body to that of a woman who is 5'10" and weighs 105 pounds, when the average female is 5'6" and weighs 140 pounds. It's no wonder there are so many cases of anorexia and bulimia when a model, comparable to the stick figures drawn by kindergartener's everywhere, is yet another symbol of what is considered to be beautiful.

Another article that caught my eye was in an old Cosmopolitan magazine I just had lying around. It was entitled, "Five Fixes That'll Make Him Want You." Now, my initial reaction was one of frustration. Why is there so much pressure to make the opposite sex want you. It's a dreaded curse that is utterly inescapable. We will always be trying to impress the opposite sex. There is always going to be something about us that isn't quite right, or one flaw that if we could just in some way fix, we'd be perfect. Girls, let me ask you something. Do you think those models are happy? They are constantly under an enormous amount of pressure to keep the body they have, to not eat, and to be absolutely flawless. However, I'd be willing to bet a lot of money that even those models look in the mirror and wish they could change something about themselves.

There is so much emphasis in magazine articles leaning toward change.
Well, you should believe the exact opposite. Be you! Be happy with who you are, and don't change yourself for anyone.