Living Up to Societies Standards
This post was written by Volunteer Blogger Karin recruited via UN Volunteering Service.
Living Up to Societies Standards
“Not going to a good college means you’ll end up as a druggie.”
“Not having a successful job means you’re a failure.”
“Being overweight makes you a burden to society.”
Society’s standards vary
Depending on the time, culture, gender, preference, and sometimes just
because society is fed up with a norm, the standard changes. It changes daily.
Are we even capable of living up to these standard or do we fail in trying to
do so?
Take a moment to think about today’s societal standards for women: Tall,
long hair, skinny, high heels and maybe a little skirt, be able to hang out
with the guys but at the same time don’t act too manly…
Now, think about how women were seen 50 years ago: The beauty standard
for those women was to be curvy and advertising companies gave tips, how not to
look too skinny (yes, people once thought that women not walking on toothpicks
are actually pretty), additionally women wore clothes that didn’t reveal too
much and were proud of what they were.
The same goes for men. They have always been the primary breadwinners
for their families. Suddenly, their image changes and nowadays they have to be
the sensitive stay-at-home-dad that supports his successful career wife. It
does not matter if you are a guy or a girl: The standards will be set for both
genders.
We all know and see that society’s standards are changing with times.
But the vast majority of people, mostly women, see it as their life goal to
reach standards set by society. Are they slaves to standards or is it in their
best interest to reach this goal?
How do we reach a standard that is produced mostly by advertisements?
Advertising makes us believe that in this world there is no room for
mistake. Society wants us to believe that every woman can be a size zero, have
at least 2 children, and live happily married while being a successful full-time
manager. On top of that, since shy and more emotional people are hard to be
around with, we all have to be happy and grateful about our
oh-so-perfect-lives. No complaining allowed! Other people have it harder in
their life.
Can we ever live up to society’s
standards?
I am not talking about personal standards. Personal standards are the
ones we can reach. We set them ourselves; we can adapt our lives and goals to
them. Some people are perfectly fine not reaching their standards; does that
mean that they are failures? Probably not, because they decide how much effort
and work they want to put into reaching their own personal standards.
Personally, I do not believe that we can ever live up to society’s
standards. Moreover, I don’t know if this is really something we want. When did
it become more important how you are perceived by the outside world, than by
yourself? Isn’t it more valuable to be a nice person, than to smile in order to
make others happy? As soon as we think we reached the bubble it pops and there
will be a new standard. It’s a vicious cycle of wanting to be better and
better, but deep down we do not set our personal standards, we copy what we see
in advertisements.
The Good News
After all, we are still individual people and we can make a difference
in this world. We take the sole decision of who we admire and what we want to
reach. YOU DECIDE. Standards are good for society
because it helps define our culture, but we don’t have to accept them. In the end, it is for us to decide what standard we want to live up
to.
By Karin Philippczyk, UN Volunteers
ABOUT AUTHOR
 |
| Karin Philippczyk |
Karin, 23, is a world traveler currently on search of a new travel goal. She is bilingual, having been raised by a German dad and a French mom - also reason for exceptional and unnecessary strict table manners. She is studying International Business Administration.
In her own words: "My friends would
describe me as spontaneous, happy and highly organized. These traits are
probably a consequence from being a full-time nanny in addition to my studies. I
use a calendar meticulously; however, my calendar is my brain, which I carry
around like a holy book. Every event/birthday/random
appointment will end up in there. I love nights out with friends and reading
for hours on rainy days. Additionally, I am a Quarterback on a local American
Football Club."
Do you think you have been conformed to societies standards? Let us know, like, share and leave us a comment. Also feel free to Contact Us if you have any question, queries, suggestions or criticisms.
You may also like to read:
Comments
Post a Comment