Who Wears the Pants? You or Society?

   
AB, DL, and I have all already talked about women and body images and our modern society. But I'm going to talk about it yet again, because I think it's something that we're not nearly as aware of as we should be.  I'm not immune to the front of magazine covers... I see them waiting in line in the grocery stores, and I see what they advertise, and I get sucked in. No matter the season, there are always magazines telling you "Lose 10 Pounds the Easy Way!" or "Get That Bikini Belly Fast!".  And, of course, there are the magazines that seem to always feature the best and worst bodies. The best are usually the impeccably, trim, fit ones, and the worst are usually those with a little extra fat. But it wasn't always that way. Sixty years ago, being skinny was frowned upon. Men wouldn't like you, you'd be unpopular. In the 1950s there were weight gain ads, ads that proclaimed things like "Amazing Scientific Plan Adds New Attractive Pounds and Inches!" and "Since I Gained 10 Pounds This New, Easy Way I Have All the Dates I Want!" and "If You Want To Be Popular... You Can't Afford To Be Skinny!".  Amazing how times have changed. But the thing is, there will never be a time when society says "Be who you are." Society will always be the thing determining what exactly "beauty" looks like. Society will be the thing saying-commanding- "Lose weight!" "Gain weight!" "Grow your hair out!" "Cut it all off!" But "society" is not something that should be able to determine the standards of beauty. People should. We should. If I want to gain weight or lose weight, I'll do it because it will make me happier. If I want to grow my hair long or cut it all off, I will be the one to decide that. I'm not going to flee to the tabloids every time I need to make a decision about my appearance. My body and my appearance are mine. Should I give up dessert and become an exercise guru because society says that I need to lose 3 pounds to "Get My Bikini Body Ready For Summer!"?  Will that make me happier? Depends on what I find happiness in. If I find happiness in pleasing some invisible domain called "society", then sure, I'll go ahead and starve myself. Or maybe, just maybe, I find happiness in eating what I want and not getting up at 4 A.M. to do crunches in some nasty smelling, fluorescent-lit, overly air-conditioned gym. Sometimes society's opinions need to be thrown to the curb and people need to decide what is best for them, what will bring them the most happiness. Because that's what really matters.

Day Thirty-Seven Song Recommendation: "Out Loud" by Dispatch. The first 3 minutes and 12 seconds of this video is "Out Loud", and the rest of it is a cover of "Mrs. Robinson" ( originally by Simon and Garfunkel). But I like "Mrs. Robinson" too so I chose this video. Enjoy! 

-SE Wagner