The Ideal Woman By Eva Schakowsky

Beginning at an alarmingly young age, girls are sexualized and forced to conform to society’s ideals. Far too early on in our lives, women become painfully aware of their bodies as objects for male consumption and pleasure, not as a medium for self expression and empowerment. The suppression of female expression and constant objectification is the greatest challenge facing girls and women. Furthermore, belief that women's voices are meant to be silenced sets the societal norm that teaches girls from a very young age that they are not valued as individuals and must be submissive in order to be respected. What makes this such a destructive standard is that it seeps its way into all aspects of the growth of girls, to young women, and into adulthood. 

As a curious and daring girl grows she quickly learns that she must tame her beautiful desire to learn and explore. Curious and daring are promptly replaced with gentle and passive. The immediate curtailing of girls’ individuality and wit are a direct reflection of their “proper” place in the world. When it is pressed upon young women, who are only just beginning to navigate through life, that their mental capacity comes second to their physical appeal is a harsh imposition. Media is one of the greatest sources that perpetuates the idea that a women’s value comes from her outward appearance and has little to do with her intelligence, compassion, or drive. This is exemplified in most children’s movies where the focus is on the struggle of a beautiful young woman to find an equally attractive young man. Similarly, most women remember playing with dolls with crazily small waists, long blonde hair, and an unproportionally large chest. The mediums from which developing girls receive their first impressions of gender place the value upon finding a suitable man and having a desirable body far above creativity, intuition, or self reliance. While women and girls face constant sexualization from media, peers, and strangers, when a woman chooses to own her sexuality and no longer be ashamed, it is seen as skanky and indecent. It often seems as though we can’t win. The expectations placed upon women are often contradictory and stem from double standards. 

The supreme value of looks over cognitive ability is cemented by the society in which girls grow up in. The ways in which women are “supposed” to behave often reflects the belief that their role in society is miniscule or irrelevant. When America has a President whose wife is 23 years younger than himself, who constantly sexualizes his own daughter, and openly brags about sexual assault, how can the standards change? If the leader of this country, the supposed ultimate role model, and national example of America, has no respect for women, why would any of his citizens feel otherwise? When hard hitting issues like sexual assault and a woman’s ability to have control over her own body are at the forefront of the nation, we need women at the center of the discussion. Who better to speak on women’s issues than women? In order for women to own their voices, they need to be invited to the conversation. Society needs to begin encouraging women to share their stories, offer their ideas, and above all: be taken seriously. At the root of the suppression of female expression is fear and an acknowledgment of the power women truly possess. In recent years women and girls have begun being unapologetic for their womanhood and owning their individuality. Through protests, marches, social movements, and educating their peers, women and girls of today are creating a new culture for the women and girls of the future. The voices of women cannot be forever silenced and as women band together, we will truly be unstoppable.