Society's Dolls

Do you ever just look at yourself in the mirror and wonder why you choose to dress the way you do or why you choose to wear makeup?
Some women might answer by saying that its their individual style or that they feel more comfortable wearing makeup because it either covers their angry blemishes or makes them feel more pretty.
But, although the above may be true, the appearance of women is mostly dictated by Society via the media.

We look at fashion and gossip magazines and are instantly bombarded with slim models who have beautifully soft and clear skin, perfect hair and teeth, and a body that is often sexualised by revealing outfits. Women and men are constantly pressurized into looking perfect and sexy - the media nudges us into thinking that airbrushed images of models is what our end goal should be.

In fact, it was only recently at the 2018 British Soap Awards, that individuals started questioning the existence of the 'Worst Dressed list' - a list where magazines examine the clothing of each celebrity and pick out those who looked their best and those who looked their worst. The fact that the list exists at all is utterly disgraceful and demeaning. Why are we judging the outfits of others when we should be celebrating the individual accomplishments of each celebrity that walks the carpet? Why are we so obsessed with perfection instead of success? The existence of such a list leaves us prone to vulnerable insecurities and judgmental stares, especially when the individual style we choose to present to the world is disliked by those who believe they are the embodiment of perfection and magnificence. What gives the media and other individuals the idea that they have superiority and power to judge others based on what they choose to wear and how they choose to present themselves to the world?

Why does the idea of a perfect looking woman exist at all? The idea of looking our best is almost socialized into us from a young age - young girls, for example, play with Barbie Dolls and think that they represent the majority and appearance of every woman in the world - not one of those Barbie Dolls are rotund or spotty - and not one possess' any real features of a realistic woman. The dolls simply represent the way Society wants us to appear. In extreme measures, one might even say that women are Society's dolls. We try to dress and appear the way that Society wants us to look; we all unconsciously want to look like the models on the front page of a fashion magazine and although we might not want to admit it, we all have the desire to look perfect.

There have been times when I have walked the dogs or gone to the gym bare-faced, even though I know that my skin has the tendency to appear red and spotty. Some people look at me like I have the plague or ask questions like; "Are you ill?"
So many women wear makeup on a daily basis, that we don't even know what each other truly looks like and without foundation I feel truly exposed. Makeup is like a mask - it covers our insecurities and makes us feel more comfortable in public, but we wear it because we are exposed every day to advertisements and media that tells us that women should appear clear-skinned and sexy. We should ask ourselves, if we were never exposed to such ideas, would we still feel the need to look perfect? Would we still feel the need to cover our blemishes and to appear fabulous every time we leave the house?

If I want to wear jeans and a baggy jumper, I'll wear it. If I want to wear a sports bra, then fine. Putting on makeup and sorting out your hair just to go to the gym, walk the dogs or to drop your kids off at the school is a ridiculous notion, when feeling comfortable should be the main priority. The need for perfection 24-7 is absurd and living a doll-like existence is an uncomfortable life because we aren't dolls.       

We shouldn't feel the need to appear the way Society thinks we should, and we shouldn't feel like dolls living in a glass doll house. Although some women are able to crack the glass ceiling and join the road of success, most of us are still very much in need of freedom.
Until women stop being judged by their appearance, we are very much Society's Dolls.