Featured Image: ‘Face 10‘ from Flickr by Paul Xhrouet is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0. Link to license deed.
Do not base your worth on a social construct that varies so broadly dependent on time and place. I beg you.
For people to love themselves and be happy with their own appearance, comparing individuals in terms of how “hot” or how “beautiful” they are needs to stop. Who is to say that one human is more beautiful than another? We all posses our own unique qualities, which shape our individuality. Subjective views on beauty arise from different people who are simply looking for different qualities.
We are being so heavily influenced by the environment we are in, which has created this idea of beauty—which is nothing more than an ephemeral social construct dependent on place and time. That beauty is an outcome of social conditioning should always be remembered. By falsely believing that current media crazes provide a fixed definition of beauty, we create a malicious and judgemental environment that breeds insecurity amongst individuals who are questioning their self worth. Self worth should never be based on physical appearance, yet we are such an appearance-obsessed society, with people constantly comparing themselves to others and feeling as though they are somehow inferior or inadequate.
However, all it takes is a look around the world and a history lesson on beauty standards to see that we can each find a number of our physical characteristics (likely ones that, according to current standards, make us feel insecure) reflected as the ideal at some stage of existence or in some society.
This poem addresses beauty as an ever-changing social construct and the negative impacts that modern day influencers, celebrities, television and the media can have on the younger generation, as well as the vicious cycle of unhappiness that inspires insecurity and self hatred as these children grow up feeling uncomfortable in their own skin. This dangerous mindset can lead to people taking potentially harmful health risks out of desperation to look a certain way because of the stigma surrounding beauty and the qualities that are perceived as “beautiful”.
A strive for perfection
a need for protection,
characterised by unrealistic expectation
the selfish desires of a nation
so it’s approval you seek
without beauty you’re weak
a disease of insecurity
infecting the population
the product of an appearance driven society
media influence and magazines inciting
the sadistic nature of conformity
an unspoken rule to look a certain way
deeply disturbing superficial hearsay
with a devastating effect on intellect
a social construct driven into young minds
little girls using anything they can find
to change themselves, to tear themselves down
aged 15 waiting in line for a cosmetic procedure,
a growing self hatred taking control like a seizure
wearing degrading clothing and a nature defying frown
values upheld through social media, in every city, every town,
a vanity desk crowded with makeup and new faces
lotions and potions reinforcing the devotion
to removing identity, to becoming a clone
spending all day looking up diets, eyes glued to a phone
self absorbed celebrities posting modified bodies,
captions reading “be yourself” coupled with unnatural people
this is an outrage, shocking hypocrisy
steroids and protein shakes,
a requirement to be a certain weight
for your hair to sit a certain way
for your nose to be a certain shape
qualities we were born with
are judged and scrutinised
we are told to make a health compromise
to fit in with normality, in order to be loved
and those born “beautiful” don’t understand the fuss,
but that’s my issue,
your warped vision does not determine my worth,
my self value,
so who are you to tell me what beautiful is
to tell me it’s not desirable for my hair to have frizz
that my arse is great, but my legs are too big
because my purpose is not to please you,
10 year olds are starving themselves
and maybe you are too.
Social expectations and a company’s wealth
put before my mental health
and those 10 year olds become 40 year olds
hating themselves
because faces like theirs aren’t sold
aren’t publicised on television
aren’t featured in magazines
an infinite cycle that needs to be broken,
so forget what you know,
forget destructive taught values that you hold
corrupt ideas, social necessities you’re told
instead make individuality
your new sense of normality
to stop this nation wide health, happiness and identity
catastrophe