Coming to Confidence & Bare

Coming to Confidence

I have been exploring the idea of self-confidence and learning to love myself regardless of Americanize standards. In America I see Hitler’s ideals for beauty alive and well yet no one else seems to notice. Yes we know Hitler killed the Jews and many other groups and teach our youth about Nazi takeover of Germany. I believe Hitler’s vision lives on in American standards for beauty. Blonds are everywhere. Models and actresses are all dying their hair blonde. Blue eyes are also considered beautiful. Why it is that it’s more aesthetically pleasing in a male’s? Is it that there truly are less blondes than brunettes in the world and they are ‘rare.’ I think it’s that we are brainwashed into thinking 6 foot tall, white, blonde and blue eyes is considered hot and everyone else it ugly.

“Next is our standard of beauty. Look, we aren’t the most culturally diverse country in the world, but that doesn’t mean we can’t break away from the Disney-princess notion that beauty equates to porcelain skin and golden hair. All magazines — not just TIME — are dragging their feet on this. While I couldn’t find any authenticated studies reporting that beautiful, white women sell more magazines in my online hunt… clearly this is information being shared internally ’cause white women keep popping up everywhere. We’re even hiding the race of those unfortunate enough to not be born white. All in attempts to sell magazines.”

TIME magazine

The is a cultural ideology that thin, white, blonde women are the beauty elite. And how can I, a Honduran, Cherokee, German, African, and Scottish plus-sized girl compete with that? We need to change our views of what “acceptable.’ Healthy and happy should be ‘hot’, not the colors you check off in a box.

This idea has stolen ones sense of individuality and we striving to be more like sheep.

Bare

The difference between the nude male and the nude female figure:

Historically women are striving to self-improve. There is a certain ‘culturally-assigned hysteria’ that women subscribe to. Women fix themselves through physical means (make-up, clothes, and plastic surgery) and also internally (with the help of Oprah, magazines and self-improvement guides.) There is so much pressure for women to look a ‘certain way’ and fit preconceived ideas about what they ‘should’ look like. There is not sense of individuality nowadays. The female figure sits looking out at you with almost a blank look as she holds a cupcake in her hand. Does she fit your idea of beauty?

I wonder if men feel the same pressure? Looking at my past relationships I would say no. The men that have been in my life unfortunately have not take personal appearance into great consideration most of the time. But then I see some men who are well dressed everyday and must assume there are guys who do care and maybe feel a little pressure. I want to further explore this further in another series next semester perhaps. I’ve had a conversation with a male that said he doesn’t compare himself to guys on TV or in magazines, but rather the other males he sees in person. The male is seated comfortably and looking off to the side. But why does he hide his penis?

I just today read a comment on Facebook “girls are more appealing on signs.” I have heard this so often and wonder where the notion that men are more attractive then women comes from?