Nick Clark, Bobby Ivey, & Tyler Stolen | Contributing Writers

Forget what society wants you to be. In today’s society, women feel pressured to be the perfect girl, but what is the perfect girl? Society sets a double standard for what girls are “supposed” to be. They want an innocent girl in public, but an outgoing girl alone. They want a girl that wears makeup, but not to wear too much because it takes away from natural beauty. Girls are portrayed to constantly be smaller by way of magazine covers, movie stars, and clothing lines. A girl simply can’t win.

It doesn’t just stop with females in society. Males are also victim to societal pressures. Men feel a great deal of pressure to act “manly”. This means that men are to show their masculinity by being strong, aggressive, and dominant individuals who do not show their emotions. If a man doesn’t act strong, or if he shows his emotions in public, society puts the tag on him that he is feminine or weak. Our society also expects men to figure everything out on their own because asking for help is a sign of weakness. The media makes men feel they need six-packs, big biceps, and broad shoulders. It is very unfair for both women and men, and impossible to live up to.

It is extremely important for everybody to not conform to what the media wants. Don’t listen to society. Be yourself. Do what makes you happy, not what society sees as “ideal”. Never hide your true colors.

Graphic by Justice Gage