
How society and media oppresses women by pressuring them to look a certain way is a current topic that spikes people’s attention. Many various types of writings have been published addressing this issue in different ways. Kelly Sue Deconnick’s Bitch Planet shows the oppressive force of body image on women by the “Fathers,” the men who run the society. The Fathers in the comic represent today’s society and the media shown in the comic creates unrealistic standards, as does media in today’s world. The Fathers from Bitch Planet try to force Penny into changing to meet their ideal image and to comply with their standards. Penny refuses to conform to the Fathers standard as she loves herself for how she is. When one person stands up for themselves and doesn’t give into the pressures they can create a movement.  In Lily Myers poem Shrinking Women she shows how the pressure to be a certain weight can be inherited. Lily shows how a person can pick up habits from their parents, even when they don’t want to, which causes them to continue for further generations creating a social norm. Along with these examples and three others, I will show how society and media cause women to be oppressed by the pressure to meet a certain weight. Many facts and studies have been released about how women are affected by the media and society as well as what women think about their bodies. With all these sources compiled you will see the affect media and society has and how they oppress women by pressuring them to meet unrealistic standards.

Many women have an issue with the way they look that can be caused from the media and society creating unrealistic expectations and pushing that women must be “thin.” A study by Harvard University found that only one percent of women are completely happy with their body (Women, weight). The extremely low percentage is concerning as women should be happy and confident with their bodies. The beauty and diet industries create advertisements for their products and since they obviously want to sell their products they have to create a successful advertising campaign. They do this by making women believe that there is something wrong with the way they look so, they have to use a product to make themselves pretty and to meet the beauty standard. The media produces a state of permanent surveillance and judgement around our physical appearance which causes the value of a women to be determined by her weight and looks rather than her personality and intelligence. Even the work force has discriminated against those that are not “thin” in the eyes of society. A 2009 Rudd report on weight bias as a social justice issue found that obese applicants were rated lower, less likely to be hired, and seen as unfit for jobs that involve interaction with the public (Women,weight). Just because someone does not fit the unrealistic standard of being thin they are less likely to get a job even though they may have an incredible level of intelligence and could possibly be an amazing employee for a company. By this, society is starting a war between women and their bodies in the hopes to be accepted and viewed higher in society. When women are rated based on their looks it creates a culture that values appearance more than what is on the “inside”, such as personality and intelligence. In the clothing industry a women’s worth is based on clothing labels and the size they wear. In Argentina above a size 14 is tagged as anonymous instead of a higher number which is size discrimination (Women,weight). This makes women feel worthless and as if they aren’t valued because they are tagged as anonymous which means they are not skinny enough. Have you ever noticed how mannequins in stores are all super skinny? When you stroll past a clothing store the mannequins are usually extremely skinny and do not accurately represent the average woman. Unrealistic expectations are created by using and displaying clothing on mannequins that are not realistically proportional and it makes women, especially children, feel the need to look like the mannequin in order to look the way that store presents the article of clothing. Surveys have found that young girls are more afraid of becoming fat than of cancer, losing their parents, and nuclear war (Women, weight). Media and society creates the need to be skinny and perfect by basing a women’s value on her size and creating an unrealistic definition of what “skinny” and “perfect” truly is.

There are many facts and studies that have been released about how the media creates unrealistic expectations and its effect on women. The value of a women is based on outward appearance in this era. A study found that images found in the media are air-brushed versions of models that weigh 23% less than the average women (Self image). Models are seen as the prettiest people therefore, women want to look like them but, the images shown of models in magazines and on television are not “real” as they are airbrushed and edited. Women will resort to measures that are unhealthy in order to try and be like a model and to be a part of the impossible world that is full of lies. The average U.S. model is five foot eleven inches and one hundred seventeen pounds as the average U.S. woman is five foot four and weighs a hundred and forty pounds. The “prettiest people in the world” have bodies that are not realistic for the common woman and when they are edited it becomes even more unrealistic which creates expectations that are very hard to attain. Sixty-nine percent of girls in the fifth through twelve grade reported that magazines influenced their idea of the perfect body shape (Self Image). These kids are creating their standard of a perfect body shape off of an edited image of a model who is already much skinnier then the average women without editing. The media creates this body image that people want to reach but, being as skinny as someone in a magazine is unrealistic and not attainable due to the editing. The body type portrayed in advertising as ideal is possessed naturally by only five percent of American females yet, that is what the expectation to look like is (Self image). Seventy percent of six to twelve year olds said they want to be thinner (Self image). It is concerning that children so young are worried about their weight when they should be carefree in their young years. The unrealistic expectations that the media creates is having a negative effect on women as they feel less valued if they do not meet the standard and they will take extreme measures to meet this standard.

A big part of a girl’s life is her parents. Parents can unintentionally teach their child that they have to be “skinny” or watch what they eat. This is a big way in which society continues oppressing women because the views are taught to girls at a young age through those who they respect and look up to. Children develop beliefs from their parents and society as they aren’t just born with beliefs. In “6 Ways My Parents Unintentionally Taught Me Disordered Eating” Suzannah explains common things that parents do which causes kids to develop a fear of becoming fat. Parents can create the idea that fat is bad and anyone that is fat is below thin people on a scale of value. When Suzannah’s parents disapprove of someone that is overweight they cannot explain why they disapprove of them without mentioning their weight. This results in “fat” being used as an insult which causes kids to fear becoming fat. Also, when parents talk about or comment that their child is “pigging out” it creates a mindset that indulging every once in a while is bad. This can cause kids to follow a strict diet as indulging is not allowed and they don’t want to be insulted based on their weight. Many people are on diets for various reasons but when parents talk about their diets and speak positively about them it teaches their children that they should also diet because their parents do. All of these things that parents usually do unintentionally have an impact on the way their kids see their bodies and what they think they should look like. This is how society creates an image of what women should look like. Many parents will talk to their daughters during the years of puberty warning them about the possibility of gaining weight which can cause young girls to fear gaining weight and make them take measures to ensure that doesn’t happen. As kids grow up with these messages they will often project the same message onto their own kids, creating a never ending cycle of fearing fat. The fear of fat that is often established in young girls can cause many issues like an eating disorder. The oppression of women by pressuring them to meet a weight standard affects all age ranges and can lead to dangerous behaviors. With so many kids and grown women affected by eating disorders something with the media and society has to change so women do not have the pressure to meet the “thin” expectation.

Lily Myers’s poem “Shrinking Women” opens audience’s eyes to see how parents’ behaviors can be inherited even when a child does not want to inherit them. The oppression of women to be thin not only applies to young girls but to all women. Myers talks about her observations she has of her mother and grandma and how the men in her family do not display the same actions. The pressure to be skinny and to continue to lose weight as an adult is evident. Children look up to their parents and elders and when they are around them for a substantial part of their life they pick up and inherit their habits. Inheritance is accidental but it is one thing that keeps the need to be skinny continuing for generations.

As children spend a lot of their time with their parents they tend to notice their habits even when they come home from college or for holidays. Myers talks about her mother and says, “my mother smiles over red wine that she drinks out of a measuring glass” (Myers 3), “she offers me the uneaten pieces on her plate” (Myers 8), “I’ve realized she only eats dinner when I suggest it” (Myers 9). These lines conclude that her mother is dieting and watching what she puts into her body by measuring out her drinks and not eating everything on her plate. As women have this pressure to be thin and meet standards they turn to dieting and restricting themselves to a certain amount of food or calories per day. “She wanes while my father waxes” (Myers 14) is another statement regarding her mother which touches on her physical appearance. Since her mother only eats when it is suggested by Lily and offers away her food she obviously will be losing weight. The take away here is that the father, whom is male, is gaining weight as the women is losing weight. The woman is taking up less space as the man is gaining and taking up more. The oppression of women to look a certain way is causing women to become as small as possible so they will be accepted and loved.

Myers compares her parents to her grandparents and shows how the pattern is the same with them; the woman loses weight as the male gains weight. “We all learned it from each other, the way each generation taught the next how to knit” (Myers 47). The lines show that the shrinkage of women has been occurring for generations for some time and that it is not questioned, but is the norm. Men are allowed to gain weight, become bulky and take up more space which symbolizes dominance. Women losing weight means they take up less space lowering their value in society. Her poem is all about a women’s place in society and how women are taught to be less in size, opinion, and other aspects of life. She states that she was taught accommodation and to have a filter as her brother “never thinks before he speaks” (Myers 28). There is a different standard for men and woman in many aspects which there should not be as it oppresses women. As women have been “growing in” for generations it can be assumed that this action is inherited as a way of life. Lily explains that she never wanted to be a part of the obsession to be thin but that “inheritance is accidental” (Myers 74) and it is hard to break the pattern. Society has oppressed women for generations and it continues because younger generations of girls inherit their mother’s actions and feel the need to be skinny as well. The oppression of women to meet an unrealistic weight needs to be abolished and not passed on to younger generations.

The oppression of women to look a certain way is shown in a different form by Kelly Sue Deconnick’s comic, Bitch Planet. Penny is a heavy set woman in a world where that is not accepted. Showcased is a patriarchal society where the “Fathers” are in charge. They try to create a “perfect” image that all women must conform to. This represents what is happening in society today as women are being oppressed to meet unrealistic standards to be “pretty.” Penny says, “Why folks gotta say what I am mother? Ain’t it enough to know who I am?” (Deconnick 188). The response was, “It doesn’t work like that. You need to learn to see yourself through the Fathers’ eyes” (Deconnick 188). These quotes show that Penny is confident in herself and does not see a reason to change and conform to society as being heavier is comfortable for her. But, the society she lives in makes it a necessity to look the way the Fathers want and to meet a certain standard. When Penny was growing up she was taken by the state and placed in a home of a thin woman who tried to change Penny’s hair. The comic shows other women who are thin counting their calories and learning about sport competition just like the Fathers want them too. When Penny goes before the Fathers they ask her questions about why she is not compliant and why she makes her life so hard. She does not give in to what she is told as she sees herself as a perfectly fine woman. Penny ends up in prison and hooked up to wires so the Fathers can see what her ideal self is. The ideal version of herself is an exact image of what she looks like now and that angers the Fathers. Penny states “you bastards ain’t never gonna break me” (Deconnick 199). The only woman to fight the Fathers in this comic is Penny. This comic relates to the world we all live in today as society wants you to look a certain way in order to be considered “pretty.” Society urges women to conform to unrealistic standards and tries to lower women’s confidence by using the media and advertisements. Women are made to feel less if they do not conform to these standards as Penny was made to feel like she was committing a crime. 

The media and society today force unrealistic expectations onto woman and try to make women that do not fit the standard feel bad about themselves so that they want to change. Women today need to fight like Penny and not give into harmful expectations. Many women and young girls feel the need to diet and restrict their calories to meet the unrealistic expectations. This can lead to eating disorders and other major problems. Not eating enough calories per day will send your body into starvation mode which can have a variety of side effects (Lampart). Different eating disorders effect a person’s body in different ways, none of which are good. Many affect blood pressure and can cause issues with the way the body normally functions causing complications (Health). The rise in diagnosis of eating disorders is alarming. The ongoing oppression to be thin needs to be stopped and the beauty standard needs to be abolished. Everyone no matter their size or shape should be confident in themselves and not feel the need to change. Instead of teaching girls to grow in and to filter their words they should be taught how to love their bodies and speak their mind. Parents and those that children look up to should instill confidence in their girls at a young age so they do not give into the pressure to be thin. Also, magazines and advertisements should not show highly edited, extremely thin women as what is “ideal.” They should instead show women of all races and size to help abolish the need to be thin and make everyone feel that they are beautiful. A revolution needs to occur and it can all start with a group of women who give their young girls the confidence and guidance to be whoever they want to be and not feel the need to conform to unrealistic standards. When people do not let the media and society affect their actions and thoughts they will be happier and live a more carefree life. The oppression of women to be a certain size can be stopped if society realizes the issue and makes a change.
