The Power of Perfection
Being constantly bombarded with messages defining what bodies “should” look like. For high school students, this ideal can feel heavily impacting everything from the clothes they wear to the language they choose to use. From the muscular, bulkier ideal pressed on male body image to the unrealistic thin ideal of women’s body image, these pressures create a societal standard.
These insecurities are reinforced by culture and colorism, which elevate certain skin tones and features, and normalize damaging speech. The “fat talk,” diet jokes and clothing criticism have become the social structure of society nowadays. When chasing this narrow ideal, people often confuse appearance with actual health, risking their mental and physical well-being.
Different Ideals, Same Pressure
Societal ideals are standards that are often deeply ingrained in specific communities, establishing the most desirable way to be, think, or behave. They represent what is typically celebrated and considered normal or successful within that community.
The relentless push for a perfect physique is highly damaging. For male body image, the ideal often blends muscularity, leanness and size. Media representations of fitness influencers can lead to excessive time in the gym, anxiety about being “too small” or “too big,” and even the use of steroids.
The ideal for women remains attached to the thin ideal and the demand for specific hourglass proportions. Society amplifies this by showcasing filtered, edited bodies, creating a digital ideal that simply does not exist and forcing girls into a constant, unwinnable comparison.
The Language of Judgment
One of the most cunning ways societal ideals are maintained is through the casually accepted use of body-shaming language. The normalization of “fat talk,” the habit of criticizing each other’s bodies, often disguises insecurities as jokes. Constant diet jokes normalize restrictive eating and link food with guilt.
“I see negative body comments fairly often,” Sophie Pavliga, a sophomore, said. “I hear it every day in real life. My lunch table constantly makes jokes about a bigger kid, even if he is just sitting there. Although he sits with us and we all laugh about it, I still think it is hurtful.”
TikTok consists of backhanded comments such as, “Healthy body, by the way,” “Nice to see clothes on a real body,” “I love that you’re confident in your body; most people would go on a diet,” and “You’re so brave for showing off your body.” People with ideal body types, however, receive comments like, “I need to stop eating,” “My dream body,” “I’m jealous,” and even remarks that reflect self-harm or unhealthy eating habits. This emphasizes the difference in reactions from someone considered “too fat” or “too skinny” compared with someone who has the “perfect body.”
Clothing and Confidence
Furthermore, clothing criticism, which focuses on how clothes fit a body rather than just the style, connects body size to moral value. This creates a toxic social structure, ensuring that judgment, both internal and external, is always present, making bodily acceptance nearly impossible to achieve. This transforms clothing from a form of self-expression into a public performance where bodies are objectified and degraded.
When specific sizes are deemed acceptable for particular styles and others are shamed, it reinforces the dangerous idea that one must earn the right to wear clothes simply by meeting a narrow physical standard. This serves as a daily reminder that one’s self-worth is tied to whether one’s shape conforms to the ideal of beauty.
The Endless Chase
Ultimately, the pursuit of these impossible standards comes with the cost of insecurity, fostering an environment of constant comparison and obstructing self-acceptance. This relentless cycle ensures that satisfaction remains just out of reach, making external validation an exhausting and unfulfilling journey.