Why does society make it so easy to feel inadequate?

If anyone tries to tell me that they've never felt unattractive or like they weren't enough, I will very likely not believe you. And here's why. What our society constructs to be perfect and beautiful is aside from unrealistic, so close to be unachievable and very few are the ideal of what we deem beautiful. Literally, look at any form of media. Or hell even comparing yourself to other girls at school or whatnot. It's just so easy to feel like you're not as good as them. You're not tall enough, you're not tan enough, you're not thin enough, your hair isn't long enough, your fingers are too fat (mine actually are rather plump looking. I hate the word 'plump.'), etc., etc., etc.

I won't even deny it. I wish I were tanner, I used to starve to be skinnier. It's just so easy to feel like you don't measure up to what you think you should be in order to be liked or deemed even mildly attractive. It goes back to that whole body image thing so much. So biologically for females, a curvier figure actually is what men are attracted to based on what would be advantageous for them to mate with in regards to evolution. Yet as our society began to develop a cumulative culture over time, we saw the value of our image, our superficial appearance mold to become the stick thin, perfectly toned figure it is today. But this didn't just happen over night. The 1920's saw a bit of the skinny image as an idea. But with the 1940's and 50's we had idols like Marilyn Monroe flaunting perfect curves. That became the coveted image. Then with the 60's we had the arrival of Twiggy. And that's where we began to diverge from what should biologically be attractive. The 60's began the notion that thinner was better. And that ideal only intensified over the years. Now here we sit at 2012. The perfect female body as projected by our culture is the stick thin one. Want to know what many girls strive to achieve? Go look at any fashion magazine or gossip TV show. And that darned idea that to be pretty or have anyone find you attractive you must be at most a size 2 and have a BMI below 20 and you better have a thigh gap is just so unrealistic. And it's not like I'm trying to criticize every other girl out there, I've wished for all of that too as aforementioned how I'd tried to get there. I don't even know what the key ingredients to being happy with yourself are, but I know they exist. I know more people should embrace themselves as they are.

To shorten everything I said if you want the quick version of it:

1. Society's ideals are unrealistic.
2. The ideals are crushing to one's self-esteem.
3. There needs to be a more widespread realization of the unbalance between the ideal and reality so that more girls, or just people in general, can accept themselves as they are.

My Planned Day

Well I'd like to finish cleaning and perfecting my room and I could really use to put all of my clothes away. I'd maybe like some time today to read, I haven't yet finished the latest issue of Nat Geo. I also would love the chance to wash my car. Not take it somewhere, but hand wash it the "old-fashioned" way. Judge all you want but I think it's fun and more satisfying to wash it yourself plus you get some Vitamin D and fresh air! Hmmm, I also would like to have the time to develop a work out plan and training program in order to get somewhat back into volleyball even if it is just for intramurals. Then I need to organize my school stuff for next year, get my transcript in the mail and order books and whatnot. And thank you notes from my grad party. Yeah, I don't know where I'm supposed to find half of these people addresses to be frank. Then the cherry on top of it all will be heading out to the Saloon and possibly Sex World with a couple of friends. Yeah, that sounds like a good day assuming I can get all of that done. So I'm going to go work on that and I hope everyone else accomplishes their plans for the day!