Whenever I overhear young women obsessing over every square inch of their physical appearance, I start to mentally curse Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, and Victoria's Secret or Sports Illustrated swimsuit models. Grr. How dare these superficial "stars" brainwash young women into thinking that all they have to offer the world are their bodies.
Unfortunately, it seems like the problem isn't isolated in random locker or fitting rooms. It's widespread -- a disease. A new survey of over 1,000 young women 18-25 from the website MyVoucherCodes.co.uk found that almost half would rather have a larger bust than a higher IQ. And about 40 percent would rather be slim than smart.
The fact that the year is 2012 and statistics like these exist isn't just alarming or nauseating. It's terrifying.
We should all be afraid -- very, very afraid. To read something like this is to have to swallow a bitter pill that, in many ways, it's as if the women's movement has taken a giant LEAP backward. And worse yet, it appears that far too many really young females are believing that being hot/sexy/beautiful/attractive is more important than being intelligent. Why else would so many in the 18-25 demo be answering this way? It's not like they just decided last night that they'd rather be "hot" than brainy. The idea's been seeping in over time.
It should go without saying that a belief like that is incredibly disenfranchising to women. Thankfully, I really do believe most of us want so much more for our sisters, daughters, granddaughters, for future generations.
Maybe that's why we can't keep pointing the finger at Paris, Kim, Snooki, Victoria Beckham for selling a damaging image. We have to take responsibility for the problem ourselves, because whether or not we want to admit it, we too are at fault for perpetuating the toxic message. For telling girls they should "watch their weight" (instead of "be healthy, active, eat mindfully/colorfully"), for judging other women's appearances in front of our girls, or even for telling our girl she's so "pretty," "thin," "slim," "svelte," "gorgeous," forgetting she should be hearing how she's smart, funny, witty, interesting, creative, thoughtful, etc.
After all, when faced with scary stats like these, we might want to turn off the TV, hide magazines, cancel cable and Netflix, but we'll never be able to completely shield girls from the sexist spell the media is selling. All we can control is our behavior and the message we're sending ... which should be that brainy is what's beautiful.
Does this survey scare you, too?
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Comments 18
... if my IQ is higher then I could, in theory, make enough money at my job to simply buy bigger boobs. And then I'd have my cake and eat it, too.
All throughout school, I playacted dumb in class because I had a large chest and teachers didn't expect much from me. I used that to my advantage when test time and essay time came because I'd blow my score off the charts. I realized quickly that people don't really care that much if a girl is smart, they'll talk to you if you're pretty. So I focused my public image on being pretty and nice and acting like a bimbo, but whenever my friends would come over, they'd see me pouring over my school work, and I'd even take my homework to friends houses on movie nights so I could still study while they're goofing off. I still blow my family and my husband away by the things I know, because I don't act or look like I should know stuff. :D
I think intelligence is very important. Unfortunately society as well as our families can send the wrong message. My daughter can at any given moment watch her dad or other young boys act like idiots if a Victoria's Secret commercial comes on, Men have eyes and they will notice an attractive woman, just as we will drop everything and drool as Paul Walker or Vin Diesel comes on t.v. ( Well at least i do :p) Thats life. We all appreciate things that are "aesthetically pleasing" to the eye, but when it become that was all we noticed? We fail to applaud someone"s intelligence or accomplishments no matter what they are, but we are sure to notice what celeb is ditching whom or who had the most recent boob job. I try to tell my daughter everyday how beautiful she is. I'm sure we all do that. Unfortunately, the problems begin when they step out the door. Somewhere, somehow, our children are being made to doubt their beauty beauty and self-worth.
I've got both.
Boobs sag. Frankly, I'ld give anything to get rid of mine... or at least make them smaller.
Brains get better.
Breasts are ephemeral. They go up and down with your weight (or fertility), they sag with age, and you can lose them to breast cancer. Best not to base your self-worth on them.
Because honestly, to do so shows how stupid you really are.
They should have surveyed girls who got visited by the boob fairy sooner than their classmates and received generous dose of magic. My daughter was 10 when the boob fairy visited. Not only did she get her period early, she had breasts too. She hates them, she hates bras. She's told me on more than one occasion that she wish she could have them cut off. She's 14 and is a 36 B or C. Oh and she's wicked smart too. She's been taking advanced classes since 6th grade.
I wish Maddison Avenue and the Fashion District would just disappear. We have generations of females with self esteem issues thanks to them.