A survey done in Norway reveals that at least
50 000 women suffer from some kind of eating disturbance. 15% of 17-year
old girls in our capital are underweight. Half of the girls in high school have
tried to lose weight, or are currently on a diet.
Surgeon, or injections, to change looks are more and
more common within all groups of society and age. And the guys fall into line
in increasing number. So called beauty corrective procedures are spoken about
as more normal, and a far more preferred solution, than acceptance of nature’s
course and beauty of the human body.
The desire to be both thin yet (to some extent) curvy (not so curvy it is hard to get into fashion brand clothes,
though) is greatly encouraged by the many who make money on
selling us low self-confidence.
As a result of this, the survey I mentioned also say
that the girls feel they have to spend twice as much time on their appearance
than they do on homework and reading.
If you don’t live
it just trust me: it’s hard and it’s never good enough! We try to be
up to standards nobody really knows, set by… nobody knows. The rules to what
and who is beautiful changes, like a forever ongoing urban legend.
It is as if what we suspect others think, when they see us, is what defines us as individuals. I know
that it is very fashionable to pursue happiness more than anything else. But we
are so desperate to show our happiness we forget to take a real good feel and
think about how we really are. All those brave smiles on perfect faces seldom
reach and beam through glittering eyes.
I know for a fact I am not alone in feeling the
pressure of visual happiness. I am not the only one who is tired of newspapers,
magazines and TV series telling me what happiness really is, how to become
happy and how to be even more happy. And the recipe to happiness seems to be
the same for everybody, even though we all know, deep inside, that’s far from
the case. Nobody can really tell how to measure happiness anyway. The
expectations and demands I face on how to lead a happy life sometimes give me a
feeling of failure, even though I know I am ok.
Deep inside I know I am lucky because I can handle
being miserable and sad for a while, and appreciate unexpected moments of pure
happiness.
On the other hand I don’t post pictures of myself
either. I don’t show off to the world, maybe in fear of what “they” might say
if my love handles, double chin or not so perfectly plucked eyebrows show too
well. I am far from perfect: I fall into the same pit “everybody” else does.
And then I start thinking how stupid it is to let what
others may or may not think limit myself, even the least. And then I get into
thoughts about how arrogant I am to think like that. As if I’m not part of the
world, or that I’m perfect or something. If I wasn’t at all affected or
influenced by what’s going on around me, and to my fellow-beings, I would have
been a sole island, which I’m not.
I think that girls throughout the entire western world
struggle to find courage to talk in class, meetings and gatherings because they
know everybody’s eyes will turn their way as soon as they open their mouths.
Some will measure and
study, not only their body but also how they dress, how they
talk and their gestures.
As a result of this there is less challenges on the
structures of power established
in our society, and we miss out on a lot of good thoughts and ideas which could
have improved society as well as business.
Feminist is an insult and women who speak up to fight
the unreasonable demands women face are called ugly and jealous.
We like to think that we have come a long way as far
as Women's Lib is concerned. But when we let what others say about food,
working out, make up, clothes and how it all affect us run our lives, how real
is the liberation?
I like to think that if I just try to forget what I look like, act and talk I am actually pretty skilled... and good at it!
