• I think it helps to understand that our society has not managed to separate a woman's value from her value as a potential mate/conquest. And as a potential mate/conquest, America has determined that it's desirable for a woman to be 21 years old(!) (and hairless for a reason I struggle to understand—I get that beards and perhaps chest hair are a characteristic that tends to separate males from females in our species, but women have leg hair and pubic hair and underarm hair—that's just what a woman's body looks like!) (and of course, it's best if no one ever knows that she menstruates or has any smells, etc. etc.)
• It breaks my heart that there's no chance a woman will meet society's standards (which are then her own) for more than a fleeting moment, and unless she works very hard on modifying her appearance (and/or self-worth) and is very lucky, she will spend most of her life feeling needless shame and dysphoria and disgust at her own body 😔 See also Brené Brown
• But as long as we're in this world, not only will I fight for things to get better, I will also try to help women feel better about themselves, even if it means going along with the trap that we're all in. (Definitely open to arguments or advice if there's a better way to approach the problem!)
For Female Appearances:
reminder:
Interesting study on the appearance of aging.
Skin
Hair
For Female Plumbing:
Clothes
This is a fun and useful framework for thinking about the messaging your clothes send:
