Opinion | What Makes My Mom Cry

Just the other week, I visited the Milwaukee Public Market with friends. We walked through aisles of gourmet chocolate and fresh fruits and vegetables, but I stopped when I reached a shelf of glamour magazines. I looked down and thought to myself how disappointed I was in the overpowering amount of pressure today’s society puts on women and adolescent girls.

I thought about my mom, and how every morning she skips out on the blueberry scone she so desperately wants to indulge in. I thought about the day that I caught a glimpse of her crying in her bedroom because of the utter and complete dissatisfaction she feels with her body image. This is not something that has happened overnight.

Throughout the years, the media’s perception of what is defined as beautiful has drastically changed. Marilyn Monroe (considered the ideal body image back in the 1950s and 60s), aided in revolutionizing the idea of “big is beautiful.” But, sometime between then and now, the line was blurred.

Today, we live in an airbrushed and photo-shopped realm that expects perfection, and nothing less. I ask myself: How does this affect future generations of women? When I see my mom feeling low and self-conscious, I begin to question myself and how I look and feel. And at some point, my young sister will look up to me and do the same. But, just like anything else in the world, we can make a change.

By ignoring what the media expects of us and believing in our beauty, future generations will feel inspired to do the same. Although the media is everywhere around us and plays an influential part in many of our lives, there truly is nothing more powerful than belief in one’s self.

By empowering each other, we as women can redefine what beautiful means, and hopefully diminish its importance. After all, the way that we look does not define who we are as people. I pray that one day I can scroll through the boutiques and markets in Milwaukee, look down at a magazine, and continue walking. And I pray that if my mom finds herself in a similar situation, she can do the same.