Almost all women recognize this. You’re zapping in your lazy chair at home with a bowl of chips and a cosmetic advertisement appears. A beautiful woman with perfect curves smiles broadly. You put the chips aside and think; how beautiful she is. And for today you are dissatisfied with yourself again. You see perfect, beautiful women everywhere on TV, newspapers, magazines, billboards and the internet. You want to starve yourself because you think you’re too fat. But why exactly, and for whom…? Women suffer psychologically from the ideal of beauty. As a woman you should look young, toned and slim. Appearance has an increasing influence on society. Young people feel uncomfortable and think they are not good enough if they are left out with their size or height. Plastic surgeons have been receiving patients aged 15 years. Children of 5 eat less sweets because they think this will make them fatter and more unattractive. Psychological diseases such as anorexia, bulimia and BDD (Body Dysmorphic Disorder; disease in which the patient imagines himself to be uglier than he actually is) are becoming increasingly common and it is time that everyone understands how women suffer from the beauty ideal.
Limited shelf life
Sunny Bergman attracted attention with her documentary: Limited Shelf Life, about the unrealistic beauty ideal of women. The title refers to the fact that women are no longer considered attractive after a certain age. Many women are confronted with a young, slim and toned beauty ideal and worry that they cannot live up to that ideal. Sunny Bergman wonders in whose interest these concerns are, hers and other women’s. And what’s at stake. In the documentary, Bergman searches for the cause, the effects and finally possible solutions for this problem.
According to Bergman, this feeling is fueled by the image of women that cosmetic manufacturers, the fashion industry, women’s magazines, the porn industry and plastic surgery send into the world. That image is fixated on young and thin and is largely photoshopped or otherwise manipulated. That is a beauty ideal that we cannot compete with and yet we strive for it.
Manipulation of photos is common. Many women do not know that it is digitally manipulated and compare themselves to the perfect woman they see. Sunny Be rgman allowed herself to be manipulated in Photoshop. Top models, celebrities and perfect actresses look very different in reality.
Resistance with actions
So you see that manipulation is prevalent. Fortunately, there are many more actions to take up this fight. Dove is already known in the Netherlands with the campaign: Time for real beauty. The group that opposes the beauty ideal is growing every day, and also with the voices of men. It remains to be seen whether the entire market will take the psychological damage to women into account.
Oprah looks good on the cover of her own magazine
Manufacturers in court
The legal side of the matter is now being heavily investigated and votes are being collected. Women who experience psychological damage from advertisements from the cosmetic industry will soon be able to report this. There is a chance that manufacturers will be taken to court. However, a lot still needs to happen before it can happen.
You are beautiful the way you are…
It never ends. Running, sweating, waxing, cooking, varnishing, scrubbing. As a woman at any age you should be able to look like a model, cook like your grandma in the kitchen, make love like a whore in bed, and be more intelligent than your partner. Do not let them get to you! It’s going to sound cliché, but every woman is beautiful in her own way. Being young and vibrant is in your spirit and keep it alive.
Tip for women: don’t be misled by the slim, sleek images of women. Don’t starve yourself, eat happily. That only makes you more beautiful.