Blog # 1

After reading chapter two of Women’s Voices Feminist Visions, it brought be back to how I felt in high school. Reading about the ‘mythical norms,’ in particular, brought me back. I don’t know about everyone else, but high school was essentially a beauty pageant in my eyes. The main goal in those hallways was not to attain straight As, but to look ‘hot’ and ‘thin’ and ‘perfect.’ All of my girlfriends would spend hours upon hours tending to their physical appearances. Girls would stop in the bathrooms to check their hair and makeup during the short lived six minute passing periods, hoping the cute guy on the football team or in math class would notice them. I even recall some girl using a curling iron during our lunch period. Ridiculous. My friends and most of my female peers were trying to fit the ideal look for the ideal woman, or ‘mythical norm,’ as stated in WVFV. The ‘mythical norm’ is so jaded and simply nonsense if you ask me. Not all women are able to fit this so called norm while being healthy and happy. Reading about this also hit home for me because I have struggled with bulimia nervosa for the past five years. I started making myself throw up and starving myself because I felt as though I had to look a certain way. I felt if I was thin, people would accept me and like me. Also, I felt I was ugly and there was something seriously wrong with my body. This mythical norm I was trying to mold myself into nearly took my life. It consumed me for most of my high school career. I was thin, yet extremely unhappy and unhealthy. So, anytime I hear about these norms or see how the media is influencing young women to fit this specific look, it completely enrages me. This mythical norm that has been drilled into people’s minds needs to be undrilled to better society and especially so women can understand the real concept of beauty, which is embracing ones self.