Unreal Expectations From Women That Society Wants Them To Fulfill

There are many unreal expectations from women that society wants them to fulfil. There exist various unrealistic expectations that have been placed on women throughout history, including that they look a certain way, act a certain way, and think a certain way. Many of these expectations are still in place today, and they can be detrimental to a woman's mental and physical health. 

Maintaining Expected Beauty Standards

One of these expectations, societal beauty standards, is extremely harmful to women. Women are being pressured to look a certain way more than ever before. To wear the clothes that are popular and they must have the body type to fit into them.

Women suffer from far more health problems than men as a result of this type of thinking, the desire to look perfect. Self-harm, depression, eating disorders, and even suicide can result from this type of thinking. Nearly 6% of women will develop an eating disorder during their lifetime, compared to less than 3% of men (UVM Medical Center). I'm not sure what else to call this if it doesn't appear to be gender inequality. The male-dominated media industry plays an even bigger role in why women want to look a certain way.

The majority of models and celebrities we see in magazines and on the internet have been photo-shopped, and many of them have eating disorders or other mental health problems. Hundreds of advertisements are seen in a single day, the majority of which feature women who have been photoshopped into the ideal image.

Young girls are developing feelings of inadequacy at a younger age than ever before as a result of these advertisements. If we want our society to progress in the future, we must abandon our society's unrealistic expectations of women's bodies and learn to value women for more than their appearance.

The majority of people today are fighting for the safety and equality of women in society. This would necessitate the abolition of the institution that manipulates, exploits, and entices women to despise themselves. We should value that everyone's differences are both beautiful and unique. We would be so much closer to gender equality and a safer world for women if women were thought of as more than just their bodies, as men are.

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What Women Are Expected To Do

Children subconsciously respond to the expectations that their parents, teachers, classmates, and the media they consume place on them. In many societies around the world, boys are encouraged to explore and be independent, whereas girls are seen as more vulnerable and in need of protection in the same families. Putting a greater emphasis on these perceived differences strengthens rather than weakens them.

Gender norms are a difficult battle that has been fought for decades. Thankfully, in the twenty-first century, there is a growing recognition that stereotypes can put enormous pressure on people of all genders, and the freedom to express oneself is becoming more normalised, regardless of where women fall on the gender spectrum. Being aware of these harmful expectations is the first step toward overcoming them.

Women are expected to have Community-Oriented Roles

The shame women face when they are accused of seeking power is generally related to a trait traditionally associated with men. Female goals, on the other hand, are supposed to be more community-oriented, and many people still see leadership as incompatible with that.

According to a Harvard University study, feelings of disgust and contempt were frequently expressed in response to women who were power-seekers whereas men described in the same way were not judged and not hated in the same way. 

The Trifecta of family, fashion, and food 

Similarly, coverage of women running for political office is limited. When reporters cover women in politics, the "trifecta of family, fashion, and food," as Dustin Harp puts it in an article for Ms.Magazine, is frequently invoked, but rarely when referring to men in politics. When it comes to a man's family or fashion sense, it is almost never the first thing that comes to mind, whereas it is almost always the first thing that comes to mind for women.

Even before we consider their political positions or qualifications, we must keep in mind that these politicians are, first and foremost, women who deserve our respect in all aspects of life. Their undeniably important work is almost an afterthought in these cases.

Views expressed are author's own