Topic > The Standard of Beauty in Pop Culture Freaks by Dustin Kidd

Society is immersed in popular culture; music, television, art, films, books, fandoms and fads surround us. Because of its constant presence in women's lives, women are shown the ideal standard of beauty through multiple outlets of popular culture. This constant bombardment enters their subconscious and accompanies them in everyday life. These beauty standards emerge in every situation and cause women to compare themselves to other women. An example of popular culture that affects girls as they grow up and stays with them into adulthood is the impressionability of Disney princesses. As Lamb and Brown say, “Disney girls are women with the bodies of a Barbie doll” (Hobbs & Rice, 336). Disney imposes these unrealistic standards of adolescence on growing girls and shows them how girls "should" act and look in order to be considered cute, find a husband, and live a happy life. Through their research they found that "Disney girls are incomplete without a man, they are innocent, have lovely voices, and cannot resist the mirror" (336-337). What Disney also does is consider which characteristics are “ugly,” “evil,” and “abnormal.” These “unattractive” Disney characters come across as vindictive and cruel, while “feminine power is itself evil” (337). Disney teaches girls that if you are “unattractive” or powerful, you will face death, while if you are “pretty” or submissive, you will be assigned a handsome man. This type of image in popular culture perpetuates the unrealistic beauty standard for women and encourages them to pursue disordered eating to fit into society and feel attractive.