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Tag: society

  • Cultural Pressures

    Cultural Pressures

    From birth, North Americans are subjected to a lot of advertisements and messages that teach our cultural values and tell us what our dreams should be. Whether you are female or male, you will experience pressure throughout your lifetime to behave and make choices that are strongly influenced by cultural values. Girls experience a lot of pressure from the media to be thin, have a perfectly proportioned body, have perfect skin, have thick hair and to generally conform to our cultural ideals of beauty. Boys equally feel this pressure to fit into a predetermined shape of what it is to be a man, including pressure to maintain fitness and muscular tone throughout each stage of life, to have thick hair, to be tanned and to be the embodiment of strength.

    This conditioning is extremely harmful to people who do not or cannot fit the “ideal” shape of cultural beauty. The way a person develops can be made or broken by how one feels they measure up to society’s expectations and the cultural standards for beauty. Unconsciously and consciously, there is a need to fit in. This pressure is especially felt when we are young. Going through changes during adolescence involves growth both physically and mentally. There are so many pressures growing up that we face, including excelling in school and sports, that adding the pressure to fit in with the North American ideals of beauty can be exhausting.

    As you become a young adult, you will notice that you will develop a sense of self and hopefully a sense of purpose. It is important to remember that there is no one else like you on Earth. Celebrate the fact that you are unique and embrace who you are. If you are having trouble with self-esteem, reach out and talk to a friend, parent or even use a resource like Kids Help Phone. Being yourself is the best option!

  • Accept Yourself: Dealing with Body Image

    Accept Yourself: Dealing with Body Image

    People are afraid of their bodies. They avoid mirrors, scales and eye contact with strangers; they are not confident when they walk down the street. Somewhere along the way, they realized that they are not pretty enough, or tall enough, or fit enough – and it is taking over their lives. It has become “cool” to bring yourself down, to shed light on the things you hate about yourself and toil tirelessly in order to get rid of them. This is a destructive habit that you need to break right away.

    The media is one of the biggest culprits of this craze; by presenting us with paper-thin female supermodels and impossibly muscular male icons, these unrealistic ideals become something we feel obliged to live up to. That’s not to say there is anything wrong with the bodies of the people in the media. Every person is special in their own way. The thing is, people come in all shapes and sizes and by asking everyone to conform to a cookie-cutter ideal, the beauty industry is shattering the self-esteem of its subscribers all around the world.

    There is absolutely no fault in looking how you look, nor should you ever feel that way. So what if you hate your freckles or you think your feet are too big? What you pick out as ugly may be someone else’s cup of tea. Diversity is beautiful and it is often our differences that make us stand out from the crowd. We only want what we don’t have, but our bodies are our selves and we’re stuck with them whether we like them or not. Everyone has assets and everyone has flaws – hold your head high and show off yours with pride.

    Body image isn’t only about image, either. Consider your well-being and how comfortable you feel in your own skin. It is important to take care of yourself: while overeating should be avoided and exercise is important, excessive physical activity and calorie counting to the point of obsession is definitely not good for you. Find a balance because, ultimately, your happiness is the most important factor.

    Look at your body in a positive light. Focus on what you like and don’t look to others for visual cues. Your appearance is your identity and you are free to do with it what you like. Why bother emulating someone else when you are unique? You can definitely express yourself using your appearance. If you decide to dye your hair, get a tattoo or start an exercise program, that’s great — but make sure you’re making these decisions for yourself, not just following the leader. If you want to make changes, these changes are up to you and you alone – don’t let others dictate what you should look like or how you should feel about yourself. After all, it is your body.

    Accept yourself for who you are. Respect yourself and expect to be treated accordingly.