President-elect Donald Trump recently explained to ABC’s David Muir, “I just don’t think [Hillary Clinton] has a presidential look, and you need a presidential look.” What exactly is the presidential look? How does someone look presidential? Is it the way they dress? Perhaps it is the way they style their hair or do their make-up? Maybe the better question is, does one’s dress, hair, or makeup bear any consequence on one’s ability to run a country?
Regardless of your political affiliation or who you voted for in the election, it is time to make a change and break down stereotypical ideas of women. Past years have seen women being judged and characterized based on their appearance rather than their skill sets. In a study that surveyed 2,000 women, researchers found that half of them would not leave their homes without some type of mirror.
Why are we going through all of these beauty routines if they aren’t making us feel any better about ourselves?
Two-thirds of women studied found it more stressful to go to work without make-up on rather than the job itself. And over one-third would not show up to a workout without wearing make-up.
This begs the question: Why are we going through all of these beauty routines if they aren’t making us feel any better about ourselves? How can we, as women, stop this vicious cycle and focus on the more important issues?
The Body Project, offered by Illinois State University’s Student Counseling Services and Health Promotion and Wellness, helps college women establish and maintain a positive body image. Women who participate in the Body Project will learn to embrace the healthy-ideal and decrease “fat-talk” in their daily lives. Implementation times for the spring semester have already been scheduled, so register now to participate in the spring. It is time to change stereotypical ideas of women, and that change starts with you.
