Appearance: how much is too much?

In today's society, we are bombarded with images of what it is to be the 'perfect' woman. With primped and preened princesses such as the Kardashian sisters gracing our screens on prime time television, magazines criticising celebrities who put on a whopping 3lbs over Christmas and the huge amount of money we Brits spend on plastic surgery and cosmetics, it's hardly surprising that we feel pressured into looking a certain way.

However, recently shows such as 'Snog, Marry, Avoid?' and 'My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding' seem to question just how much is too much, satirising women (and men) who abundantly slap on the fake tan, foundation and pink tutus, turning them into objects of comedic value rather than the perfect human beings that these people aspire to be seen as.

Is this fair? It's the media's fault that people are so image conscious, and now the media who is bringing people who take it 'too far' down to earth with a bump. This will only be brief because I really don't have the mental energy to bother getting all worked up in the way that I usually do for my blogs but I've just watched 'Cherry Healey: How to get a life' which examined body image and how the degree of attention to which we give it can affect our lives.

First off, Those Pesky Dames. They say that it is empowering for women not to remove any body hair whatsoever because they say it shouldn't matter what other people think, and getting used to that way of thinking can improve your self-confidence. Now, while I have no doubts that ignoring other people's opinions with regards to how you carry yourself will improve your self-esteem, I've got to say that I think it's a bit of a stretch to say that not shaving can actually improve your life.

Personally I think it would dramatically change my life, and not in a good way! I can't imagine my chances of attracting boys would exactly improve (and I'm sorry but what single girl doesn't one day want to fall in love and settle down?) and I can't even begin to imagine the amount of put-downs I'd receive! Imagine if my enemies found out I didn't shave my armpits! I can see the Tweets now! It doesn't bear thinking about! It might have been natural in the past but I think that as a society we have evolved into the belief that it is unnatural and biology just needs to catch up. Whether Those Pesky Dames like it or not, girls that don't shave will still be seen as hippy lesbian feminists and a couple of girls with a YouTube channel unfortunately won't change years of negative attitudes towards body hair.

My second point is in reference to two men, one of which thinks that by spending a (literally) unhealthy amount of time and money on tanning products he will end of having his own reality TV show and being as famous as his idol, Amy Childs, and another, a male stripper who thinks that his body is the key to Hollywood fame, referring to himself as 'the next Sylvester Stallone'. I don't see anything wrong per se with these men choosing to dedicate so much time to their bodies. While slightly selfish and definitely narcissistic, I guess it's personal choice.

However, I must question a society that raises it's teenagers to think that having a day-glo tan will bring you more success than a university degree or spending your life stripping is the equivalent of spending your childhood at a fancy performing arts school. It was more sad than anything to see a middle aged man with tribal tattoos saying that he saw no reason why he couldn't be the next Brad Pitt, and even more disheartening to learn that Amy Childs is now officially seen as a role model, somebody to look up to and aspire to be like.

I can't stress enough that in a society like ours, where education is not only freely available but we are actively pushed into it, we must take advantage of it. Qualifications are the foundations of success, not the biggest lips or the longest eyelashes in Liverpool.

Actually, I'm lying.

Images of Desperate Scousewives are popping, uninvited, into my head, alongside headlines that scream that postgrads can't find jobs. As much as I don't want it to be the case, maybe an orange boy from Blackpool has it all worked out. Maybe I should forget my degree and instead be taking out loans for the biggest boobs in Britain. They'd make me more money than my writing ever could, unless of course I write a fan-fiction of Harry Potter, adding some whips and chains to the mix. Oh, Hermione, you!