I think we do a great deal of harm to young girls in this culture.  I saw a make-up commercial the other day, advertising a product that would reduce wrinkles and fine lines by up to 30%, in which the actress urged viewers to “Be yourself.”  I wish this were their actual message, but in this context, it clearly isn’t.  From the beginning, we teach girls that a happy life means being beautiful (i.e. thin, white, blonde, with flawless skin and white teeth, and dressed in the latest fashion which changes every 2-3 months and is only available to you if you are the “right” size), and if they are beautiful, a man will eventually love them, marry them and, by doing so, make all their dreams come true.  This is not only what we are assured “once upon a time,” but culture insists we should want it, reinforces the fairy tale as we grow up, insists that we should dream of it…the life-sized Barbie Dreamhouse and all the accessories we can stuff it with.

Getting married the first time did not make me happy.  The myth that I had based my whole life on, that I would fall in love and get married and be happy, that someone would show up and save me, crumbled into nothing.

© Salahub 2003