How Society Sets the Bar

I posted this on one of my other sites not HD so some things you may not get.
(SORRY THE HTML IN THE POST IS SCREWED UP I WILL FIX IT LATER)

How Society Sets The Bar
And Demands We Think, Act And Look A Certain Way.
Insecurity. A primary factor in today's society, it rules over us, whether we know it or not. Society forces us to act one way, talk one way, look one way, just to meet the social bar seemingly set for us from birth. Everyone seems to be striving to meet some standard of being, like who we are isn't good enough. I was talking to a friend and she mentioned people not being able to look past what's in front of them, and it's true. People seem unable to look past the clothes someone wears and how they appear on the outside.

"Beauty is only skin deep." I've heard the phrase countless times, yet have seen only a handful of people live it out. Dating back to my years as a small child, I look back upon a movie that perfectly personifies this phrase; Beauty and the Beast. Belle, the leading lady, is able to look past the Beast's unsightly physical appearance and tough shell to his heart, and by doing so, is able to love him.

"Shallow" is a term frequently used to describe a person who is unable to do what Belle does; look past the outward appearance. While society frowns upon people who use this "shallow" attitude, we turn around and execute it ourselves. People are constantly pressured to look beautiful, just so they may be accepted by society. But "beauty is only skin deep."

I was listening to a song called "The Curse of Curves" and two lines of the chorus caught my eye:

"But it's so hard when you're shallow as a shower, And from what I've heard with skin you'll win."
Both lines ring true. People are shallow, unable to look past what's on the outside to what truly matters; what's on the inside. And with skin you will win. It seems the superficially "beautiful" people seem to get the better jobs and are treated better by society. Take the fashion industry for one. Rarely are plus sized models featured in fashion shows or advertisements. But thankfully the industry is including "bigger than beautiful" women more frequently.

I use the term "bigger then beautiful" because to me it seems like that's what it is all about. If you're not pole thin, you're not "beautiful." But I pose the question: Who determines who or what is beautiful and what isn't?

Even the title of the previously mentioned song is true. Although it is not a curse to have "curves", it can be a curse to desire them. People are led to do the extremes just to acquire a desirable physical form. Anorexia and Bulimia are just two examples of an increasing problem all around the world; the strive for what society deems as "beautiful."

I, myself, rarely use the term "beautiful" to describe people. To me, true beauty is what's on the inside. What makes someone tick, their personality; that's what really matters to me.

We return to the fashion industry. How many times have you looked at a woman or man in a magazine advertisement and thought "Wow they're good looking?" The thing you should be thinking is "Wow they spent a lot of time with this."

Before a photo shoot, hours are spent putting make-up on the models, doing their hair, basically "perfecting" them. Hundreds of shots are taken and usually only one is selected. The photo then spends hours being touched up by a professional on a computer; obviously the make-up and hair didn't perfect them. The photos are then sent to magazines and are printed, leading people to believe that this is what the models really look like; this is what beauty really looks like.

Clothes and apparel rule society alongside insecurity. People have the mentality that high priced clothes are the way to go, that the "clothes make the man," as it were. Slap a company logo on it and a piece of clothing can increase in price dramatically. Take one off, and it's just another shirt, sweater or pair of shoes.

But the primary factor is pressure; pressure from friends, parents, society. Pressure to look one way, talk one way, act one way, just to fit in.

But pressure then boils down to something more personal, something that can be more injuring then a physical wound ever could be; insecurity and mental well-being. When being pressured, people are led to think things such as "Am I good enough?" or "Am I pretty enough?" or "thin enough." The list goes on and on. People begin to spend more time in front of a mirror then with the very people they are trying to impress.

The point I'm trying to make was mentioned about halfway through this. That "beauty is only skin deep" and what really matters is what's on the inside, how the person really is "behind closed doors" and who they really are.

"But it's so hard when you're shallow as a shower, And from what I've heard with skin you'll win."

[ace]

Did someone p**s(I didn't know if some people didn't like that word so idc) you off or something yunoko? Because you sure are ranting on about stuff O.o I totally agree though. Well at least with the first and last paragraph. Didn't read it all. lol.

Lol maybe. God Damn'it read my posts. Lol.

I fixed the problems in there, I dont think this forum has a center bbcode.

Yea it sucks. Thanks.

you can tell alot about a person by how they look of course you have to be beyond "beauty is on the inside" and "looks are everything" to understand this

i also wanna point this out
"beauty is in the eye of the beholder"
whoever reads this should remember that and keep that in mind

As far as the fashion industry goes, many of the designers tend to be gay men, and the models they choose tend to be women who have the bodies of 12 year old boys. An accident? o_O I think not!

I like thin women, but I don't get all the noise about the skeletal look.

And society has always been like this. It's never been different and probably never will be different. One just has to remember that just because something is popular doesn't mean it's good or right.

that was some reading, ill try to commit all that to memory. lol jk, that's coo though