by Dolores Moore

Created on: May 07, 2009

For centuries, women have striven to achieve beauty as dictated by the norms of their societies. Take the Egyptian queen, Cleopatra, famed for her beauty, whose khol-laden, elongated eye make-up might seem, in the 21st century, to lack a certain subtlety. Or Elizabeth 1st of England, who used white lead to paint her face to achieve apparent English rose skin perfection. She ended up ruining her skin and certainly damaging her health. Then we have the Victorian ladies, with corsets aimed to produce hour glass figures, but mostly damaging spine, ribcage, and causing fainting fits through the inability to breathe! All in the pursuit of beauty - and so it continues, with the question remaining: why do some women try for the unrealistic?

Women are bombarded by the media and peer pressure to conform to the images that society presents as beautiful. The catwalk, the camera, the cinema, the magazines all help to put names to these "role models." So a woman will tell herself "If only I was as slender as Whoever, then I would look/feel/be better and my life would be great." This is, of course, total nonsense. In reality, these much-admired icons are just plain skinny; they stay that way through dangerous means,something that is just beginning to be recognized and addressed. But for some women, they represent perfection and promise, a dream come true.

Chasing a dream may actually be one reason why some women try for the unrealistic. The "if only I could" factor drives then on from various motivational sources. A plump little girl may have been subjected to bullying at school because of her size, and vows never to let that happen again. To take control, she becomes anorexic - yes- even children as young as eight years old have fallen prey to this dreadful, destructive illness.

The skinny girl who grows up flat-chested will allow that to take over her life. It makes her shy and lacking in self-esteem, she cannot find a partner. So she saves up all her money and has her breasts enlarged in the belief that this will make everything in her life better. For some lucky few, it might do that, but others are doomed to disappointment. Plastic surgery is a very lucrative business, feeding on women's fears and, it must be said, sometimes helping them to fulfill that elusive dream of perfect looks.

Somehow, society has become celebrity-focused and driven to emulate those they celebrate, whether deservedly or otherwise. The reasons why some women try for the unrealistic are embedded in this. Perhaps if we could come to our senses and understand that real beauty standards should be applied to the person within, then all this trying could stop and healthier, happier lives could be lived. If every mother told her daughters that they are precious, wonderful individuals, just as they are, then the first steps on the road to real beauty could be taken. Here's hoping.

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