In the Eye of the Beholder

First I'd like to state that the following paragraphs describe something I've never found much interest in before; and if I take up some of my leisure time pursuing this topic, it is for personal study and scrutiny of the modern world's impact on the Self.
Lately I've been delving into fashion magazines and articles, Brand name catalogs, and fashion/modeling television shows. Well, that's ONE way to pulverize your self-esteem down to nothing! ;-) Of course I'm kidding. And yet, I'm not too far away from the truth. I declare that anything that falls under the previously listed categories may not be entirely to blame, to some degree, for some women's disastrously low self image, but it certainly isn't helping much, is it? . ... The evidence is visually obvious and I need not even try to argue my case here. I don't wage war on men, (goodness knows I love them all too dearly), but they, being the visual-meat-eaters they are, are also part of what troubles women. Or why is that women feel that they have nothing desirable if they don't attract any men? Needless to say, their judgement is also either contributing or detrimental to how women feel about themselves. I'm aware that this is no news flash - things have always been this way. If a 15th century lady of the court, a college student (female) living in NY, or even (by golly) a cavewoman got a lot of male attention, she automatically thinks, "Gee, I must be attractive. That means I'm beautiful. That means I have reason to feel good and love myself more, because other people do." That's how we function. Sad.... Fortunately, the world we live in is geniunely trying to help. Kind of.

I would like to expand on what I've seen. Go to Yahoo! images search and type in the word "beauty". Seriously, do it. The results are all together ridiculous. And here was I, the Idealist, expecting to see a picture of the Mona Lisa, or the Venus de Milo under the search results. Uh.... guess not.

(Left: LV models showing off a purse, and the results of their water & lettuce diet?)

America's Next Top Model. Project Runway. Make Me A Supermodel. Hmmm.... it's like this: Top fashion designers create clothing to fit the mannequin. They make the dress to show off their skill - and then find a woman (model) who'll fit the dress. Not the other way around. It's not about dressing the woman, it's about making clothes that get praise (and money). And the only women that fit are 6' tall and borderline anorexic. Fashion sketches only reiterate my claim. Look at them. They're elongated sketches, showing off long legs that are distinctly out of proportion. It's in the long lower half of the body where fashion can highlight many of its best features. Which is fine. I was looking at the Neiman Marcus publication "The Book" not long ago, and the fashion photography is quite lovely. There is one particular model who showed off a series of dresses so well, I was impressed. It just wouldn't make the same impression if the dresses were all cut up and the model was short and squat. Only problem is... look out the window. Female consumers look nothing like the women walking down the catwalk. So what does that leave the rest of the female population? If we aren't shaped for the part, does that mean that we can't be fashionable?

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the average U.S. woman is 5' 3.7 tall and weighs 152 pounds.
The average American woman is tall enough for an astronaut (minimum height, 4' 10.5) but falls short of the average Miss America winner (5' 6.5) and is about the same height as the shortest president (James Madison, 5' 4).
152 pounds! Find me a model who weighs 152 pounds. I DARE you. ... And they're supposed to be selling clothing for the masses??? It's no wonder most women are crying for help!

If you just don't see the skeleton to the left, call your optometrist.

soyouwanna.com give the norm for female models:
You should be somewhere between 15 and 22 years old, though probably closer to fifteen. Models don't have careers that last as long as say, doctors, so agencies tend to want to invest their time in someone young.
You should be tall, long-legged, and lean. The minimum height is usually about 5'8", and average weight for a model is 108-125 lbs. These characteristics are partly aesthetic and partly practical: this type of frame looks good on the runway and in front of the camera (which, they say, adds 15 pounds); and a somewhat scrawny build drapes clothing nicely and ensures a good fit in the standard wardrobe. There are always exceptions to the rule, of course - Kate Moss is 5'7" and Gabrielle Reece is a giant 6'3" - but, in general, the closer you are to the industry norm, the better your chances.

(Left: A designer and his life-sized Barbies. They're perfect! They'll fit into anything!)

Okay. So what if you're not "beautiful"? What if you're not desirable? What if you're not the face on the cover of "Elle" or the sales poster for Lancome? What if God, in His perfection, kinda messed up when He made you and didn't give you all that is pleasing to the eye? Have no fear! There are "solutions"!!!!!!! And if you buy them, and continue to use them, they'll take all of your cares away!!
They're being offered like free samples at a grocery store, except they're not free. For a justifiable price, you can get anti-wrinkle cream, rid yourself of dark circles under your eyes, say "goodbye" (and then "hello again") to pimples, give yourself a fake tan, brighten your complexion (whatever that means), curl your hair, straighten your hair, color your hair, bleach your hair, highlight your hair, lowlight your hair, add volume to your hair for 12 hours, frizz your hair, or leave it somewhere in between; lengthen your eyelashes, thicken your eyelashes, curl your eyelashes, get rid of scars, spider veins, cellulite, dry cuticles, bunions, gray hairs, facial hairs, underarm hair, nose hairs?, or just plain "unwanted" hair. Teeth not white like snow? Whiten them! What they never advertise is how much it hurts after the treatment (your teeth AND your wallet)! Feet not skinny enough to fit into European brand-name-these-cost-more-than-you-make-in-a-month shoes?? Surgically remove the bone on your pods, and pretty soon you'll fit into them like Cinderella. Got a belly? Trim it off with a little encapsulated powder they say "works".
Somebody tapped into a weakness in our nature and convinced women that the solution to everything comes in a bottle. And not only in personal care; household cleaning supplies fall well into that category.

I don't see an end to the vicious cycle. We: (women) realize there's something about ourselves that we don't want - Somebody sells a solution convincing enough - We buy it - We try it - We try to make ourselves believe we see results - We keep trying - And then we get depressed when it didn't work like we'd hope .... until we see another product that "just might work" this time, and our hope is rekindled, but never to its full extent; all the while our self-image continues to plunge with feelings of imperfection at every new attempt.
Nothing can be done to change women collectively, but in some cases, when she sees herself trapped in the whirlpool for trying to fix everything about her physique that she's not pleased with, the individual does seek out help. Personally, that's comforting.

And, personally, I will never completely give up sweatpants, old t-shirts, bare feet, messy hair, and my few lbs. of extra weight. There's beauty in that, too.