I Feel Pretty. . . But Only If I Can Reach the Standards Set By Our Culture

So, I'm reading a book written in the late 1990'a called The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls. It's a comparison of life as an adolescent girl throughout American History. What I find most interesting as a Feminist is that this book argues that there has been a "shift from the Victorian concern with character to our modern focus on appearance - in particular, the desire to be model-thin and sexy." In Victorian times, it wasn't a girls' physical appearance that made her attractive, but it was how refined, charitable, and selfless she could be. Why is it that despite all the advancements for women's rights, we are a society obsessed with physical beauty rather than character? Women need a new Martin Luther King, Jr. to have a dream that one day women will be judged not by the beauty of their skin but by the content of their character.

So far, this author argues that marketing has played a huge role in girls' perceptions of themselves. Also, mothers have given up the responsibilities of teaching their daughters about puberty, reproduction, and beauty, and have let popular culture, school, and peers take their place. As a mom of two daughters, I am reading this book with particular voracity. I want my daughters to be valued for their good deeds, their character, and their contribution to others. I want them to also be self confident, not constantly worried about their skin, hair, and waistlines. Even as an adult, I am still riddled with feelings of inadequacy, comparing myself to women not only in magazines and t.v., but the women at storytime and Target.