Guys Put Too Much Emphasis on Girls’ Looks

Photo illustration by Raven Hathcock / VOX Staff

By Stephanie Smith VOX Staff

Man, guys expect too much out of a female — especially when it comes to our looks. They want us to be pretty, curvy, voluptuous and sexy, complete with a perfect made-up face and preferably long hair for us to be a winning score. I don’t think that it is fair. Guys put pressure on all of us to look fine — and when someone doesn’t, either they ignore her or they tell her she needs to “upgrade” herself, to change her looks to meet their standards. For most teenage guys, girls are nothing but trophies.

I’ve had guys tell me that if girls wear loose clothing, they must be tomboys. Somewhere along the way I started making sure I wore tight clothing all the time. Not only did I want to look attractive for them, but I also didn’t want to be singled out for dressing unattractively. Despite that I cave into the pressure, I still think that guys shouldn’t always expect females to show off their curves. I think that if I didn’t feel pressured to wear tight clothing, I would feel better about myself even though I do give into the pressure. We girls should be able to wear whatever we want to without having to worry about being ridiculed.

Another pressure that comes from guys is for us girls to have a certain body type. It used to be that guys wanted thin girls. But now they want us thick — with a big behind and large breasts — but not fat. This doesn’t leave us girls with much room for error, and I have seen it drive many girls into depression and eating disorders. And, of course, guys are oblivious to what problems they’re causing us because they’re so stuck on looks rather than our many other positive traits, like personality and intelligence.

Unfortunately, there’s a double standard that comes with looking fine. Many girls (and some guys) will look at someone who’s tried too hard to please the guys — someone whose clothes are too tight and whose makeup is too obvious — and will call that girl a slut. That’s the thanks they get it for trying to fit in with everyone else. It’s simply not fair.

Stephanie is a junior at Carver High.