From Marilyn to Kim: The Danger of Choosing One Idyllic Woman
There’s no denying that we live in a society with unattainable standards for women. Growing up in the early 2000s, I couldn’t help but worry when my mother would talk about the women in our family being genetically “curvy.” What I saw in the media wasn’t “curvy,” it was stick thin with low-rise jeans and a minuscule tank top. The ring leader of this classic look was, of course, Paris Hilton.
By the time I got older, Paris had passed the crown off to her apprentice: Kim Kardashian. She was the new “it girl,” and the new queen of the “famous for being famous” phenomena, a freshly formed category of celebrity. With this up-and-coming regime, society shifted its gaze and began to idolize women that looked like their latest shining star. To be Kim, and in turn, to be desirable, you had to have a small waist with wide hips, a butt, large breasts, big lips, and somewhat thin arms and legs, (but not too skinny of course). What society had deemed the “perfect body” was an exact copy of the biggest icon of the time, never mind that a month earlier, the beautiful women of the world were pressured to be extremely thin with no curves at all.
Before Kim and before Paris, there were several women handpicked to be the novel “sex symbol” for a few years before passing the torch. As each woman came and went, the rest of the country tried to keep up with the subsequent expectations. There was Clara Bow, Jane Fonda, Brooke Shields, and Kate Moss, each one unknowingly forming a whole new beauty standard, and each one being put on an unreachable pedestal.
One of the most famous examples of this prototype of perfection was none other than Marilyn Monroe. Marilyn was a blonde bombshell and one of the most well-known celebrities of the ’50s.
Hollywood’s Golden Girl had an hourglass figure, with a slim waist and large breasts. Once deemed to be beautiful, she was thrust into the spotlight and quickly showered with fame and fortune. The fact that she was a feminist icon and spokesperson against sexual harassment in the industry is overlooked, as it was decided by the media that her physique was far more important than her activism.
Similarly, Kim Kardashian has been studying for the Bar Exam to become a lawyer and has been extremely vocal about her desire to help pardon the wrongfully imprisoned. Many people, however, have encouraged Kim to “stick to what she does'' or accused her of attempting this daunting task for attention.
The women chosen by society to be the icon of their generation are given one simple job: sit still and look pretty.
It is truly sad to me that this practice has been so common for ages. Today, it’s as bad as ever, and, in combination with social media, contributes to the deep insecurities rooted within young women. How can we be expected to easily love ourselves and feel beautiful if there is a single “it girl” ruling celebrity culture that looks nothing like us? And how are we supposed to feel motivated to work our way up, to be a CEO, lawyer, activist, businesswoman, if the person that we’re conditioned to idolize isn’t allowed to be anything but a societal prop?
Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing shameful about being a celebrity or an influencer with a female audience. But the idea of lifting one woman up to be seen as the Goddess of their generation is harmful to everyone, including the queen herself.
If I had to choose one word to describe this strange phenomenon, it would be pressure. Society’s craving for a symbol of perfection puts pressure not only on the woman herself but on every woman who attempts to fit into what becomes desired. The impending need to fit into these impossible standards is looming in the minds of many, whether we like to admit it or not. Society has drawn a firm line in the world of beauty: do what it takes to look like our selected star, or don’t. And see what happens.
The carousel of ever-changing beauty expectations has been completely normalized throughout our society for what feels like centuries, even though it harms many young women. What society needs to realize, in order to fix this, is that body types are not trends. Throwing out an old pair of cheetah print shorts is not the same as feeling forced to alter your entire body from head to toe. The rotating list of acceptable fashion is frustrating yes, but tolerable. Having society decide we are no longer beautiful is not.