Am I not beautiful enough?- is society to blame?

The problem that exists with the “beauty idea” is that it holds women back from their full potential as human beings. It becomes an obsession and can have damaging effects on our health and personal lives. We are continually bombarded with the oppressive nature of ads and what the media views as “sexy” and “in”. Every where you look there is the “standard” definition of what beauty is, i.e., internet, tv, clothing stores, and even your local grocery store. Within every society there is a standard of what they feel is beauty. We learn a lot from the society we grow up in and that is specifically where, why and how the problem exists. Society standards have a domino effect and is unfortunately maintained in the home the majority of the time. What should exist is a form of beauty that every woman can relate to. We all might not be a size 0 or even a 7, but we are beautiful in different ways and that is what makes us amazingly different. So the answer is yes, society is to blame for distorted images women see on a daily basis. But there is a way to turn our society into something greater than just meaningless definitions of beauty. We must stray away from the norm to change the way our society thinks and acts. Small steps can have huge ripple effects within our selves and others, by taking these actions we can eventually become a society that defines beauty within ourselves.