Day 139: Hey Guess What Society Just Found Out? Women Have Self-Esteem Issues

Recently it seems there has been more and more attention on women and our body issues. In one week I tracked the headline making story of Filippa Hamilton’s grotesquely altered photographs and subsequent firing for being fat at 120 pounds and 5’10” tall. A behind the scenes video of an average looking model being made up and then photoshopped to look way hotter than she is went viral. I also noticed there has been a seeming increase in Dove ads pushing natural beauty and drawing attention to negative female stereotypes. So what’s with the sudden ah-ha moment society is having over a condition that is not new to women in any country?

Have we suddenly grown a conscience and decided to stop teaching girls from the time they are in the womb that women need to be thin to be attractive, to be attractive to be sexy and to be sexy to be successful? Nah. That can’t be it. Why would we undo generations of systematically damaging messages we’ve sent to girls and women? These self-esteem crushing stereotypes made us who we are today: petty, competitive, narcissistic, back-stabbing and insecure. Thanks advertising execs, fashion designers, Hollywood and my first boyfriend. Your contributions to my continual and ever-evolving obsession with my own physical appearance and low self-esteem is noted.

I’m not entirely sure why this is happening now, but as a woman who has several young female cousins who are currently dealing with their own budding issues and a young niece and honorary niece, I’m glad it’s happening. Kind of sucks for me and my friends since we’re already totally screwed though. I will say there is still a slight comfort that I take when a women five inches taller than me and who weighs five pounds less than me (but that’s just now, I’m totally going to lose that weight soon) is fired for being too fat. The comfort isn’t because it is getting worldwide attention drawn to the unrealistic messages we’re sending to women, it’s because it takes some of the pressure off. If a chick that skinny is considered fat, then what the hell am I worrying about five pounds for? I’ll never be that thin, so screw it, I might as well relax and splurge on dressing for my salad.