Beauty has been increasingly packaged in standards that are seemingly beyond attainable. The media has been successful in convincing a lot of women that beauty can be solely portrayed by the physical. These realizations once again hit me when summer’s heat demanded that we bare a little more skin than usual. We have notions of what the perfect beach bod should be or who alone is fit to wear that cute summer dress. Unknowingly, we dictate who can and who should not indulge in the summer fashion.
Yes, I’m one of those girls who sport the infamous Igorota legs. By Igorota legs, I mean the kind which is a bit larger than the ‘commercial’ legs being showcased in magazines and ads. But I wear skirts and shorts every now and then. While on the other hand, I know of people who complain about the heat and yet tolerate it by refusing to wear clothes that would suit the weather. This hesitance is not because of the discomfort of wearing skimpier clothes but because of the awkwardness felt brought about by the insecurity of the body—legs too huge for their liking and skin not as white as they would have wanted it to be. I know it’s not my place but I would have loved to give them a word or two about loving one’s body and shedding off those ridiculous insecurities that are inhibiting them from doing things they want.
This actually brings us to the bigger issue that continues to plague women of today. With how ‘beauty’ is portrayed, women had been clamoring to achieve that young-tall-thin-white image. What’s disturbing however is that media images for female beauty is obviously unattainable to all, save a very few number of women. The Barbie-doll proportions for example would indicate that the back would be too weak to actually support a normal body. Meaning, such a body build is not practically ideal.
Analysts claim that the root of this epidemic race to get thin and ‘beautiful’ is economics. We have been presented with the ideal body image that is difficult, if not impossible, to achieve and maintain so our tendency is to keep on patronizing these beauty and slimming products. The coffers of cosmetic and diet industries are then assured of more profit and growth.
The Igorota legs I was talking about is just one of the many stereotypes given to women who are gifted with those well-muscled gams, far from what you can classify as million-dollar legs. I say gifted because it just means you’re sturdy—strong enough to trudge those miles without having to worry and complain about muscles getting bigger. Same thing with not having a white complexion. We, as Filipinos are naturally brown-skinned. Morena has always been appealing. The ideas of skinny jeans and kutis-artista are just loathsome. Why can’t it simply be jeans and kutis-tao?
The female body is not an object to be perfected because it is already perfect the way it is. The barrage of messages being bombarded to us by the media regarding beauty standards should be ignored. These should not be internalized. Attempts to be beautiful and desirable should not be a road to self-destruction.
I embrace my freckles, my Igorota legs, and my highlander skin. Believe me, it feels more than being beautiful to really love what you have.
Yes, I’m one of those girls who sport the infamous Igorota legs. By Igorota legs, I mean the kind which is a bit larger than the ‘commercial’ legs being showcased in magazines and ads. But I wear skirts and shorts every now and then. While on the other hand, I know of people who complain about the heat and yet tolerate it by refusing to wear clothes that would suit the weather. This hesitance is not because of the discomfort of wearing skimpier clothes but because of the awkwardness felt brought about by the insecurity of the body—legs too huge for their liking and skin not as white as they would have wanted it to be. I know it’s not my place but I would have loved to give them a word or two about loving one’s body and shedding off those ridiculous insecurities that are inhibiting them from doing things they want.
This actually brings us to the bigger issue that continues to plague women of today. With how ‘beauty’ is portrayed, women had been clamoring to achieve that young-tall-thin-white image. What’s disturbing however is that media images for female beauty is obviously unattainable to all, save a very few number of women. The Barbie-doll proportions for example would indicate that the back would be too weak to actually support a normal body. Meaning, such a body build is not practically ideal.
Analysts claim that the root of this epidemic race to get thin and ‘beautiful’ is economics. We have been presented with the ideal body image that is difficult, if not impossible, to achieve and maintain so our tendency is to keep on patronizing these beauty and slimming products. The coffers of cosmetic and diet industries are then assured of more profit and growth.
The Igorota legs I was talking about is just one of the many stereotypes given to women who are gifted with those well-muscled gams, far from what you can classify as million-dollar legs. I say gifted because it just means you’re sturdy—strong enough to trudge those miles without having to worry and complain about muscles getting bigger. Same thing with not having a white complexion. We, as Filipinos are naturally brown-skinned. Morena has always been appealing. The ideas of skinny jeans and kutis-artista are just loathsome. Why can’t it simply be jeans and kutis-tao?
The female body is not an object to be perfected because it is already perfect the way it is. The barrage of messages being bombarded to us by the media regarding beauty standards should be ignored. These should not be internalized. Attempts to be beautiful and desirable should not be a road to self-destruction.
I embrace my freckles, my Igorota legs, and my highlander skin. Believe me, it feels more than being beautiful to really love what you have.