Have you or a loved one ever seen photos of celebrities on a red carpet? Literally any red carpet at all, even a Colgate toothpaste one. Have you ever seen any performance at an awards show by a singer or musician?
Odds are you probably have. Celebrity culture is sadly shoved down our throats on a daily basis.
However, some issues celebrities face are the same or very similar issues we face as well. One of those being how one should present oneself. Specifically, the difference between the standard of presentation for men and women.
A debate between the different standards for different genders was sparked by a performance with Beyonce and Ed Sheeran. The two shared the stage at the Global Citizen Festival in Johannesburg. Insider reported, “While Beyonce stunned in an elaborate, fuchsia taffeta gown, Sheeran wore jeans, a T-shirt, and sneakers.”
While people were quick to take note of the very drastic difference between their outfits, men still get away with showing up to events looking like they just went to the grocery store, while women are expected to be in full glam.
This doesn’t just happen at awards shows or performances.
Take a look at the Met Gala.
Blake Lively stuns every year she goes in elaborate ballgowns and headpieces that can be seen from a mile away. Her husband, Ryan Reynolds, wears a black tuxedo.
If you watch a lot of Late Night TV, you might notice the women are typically in full glam, dresses, jewelry and beautiful outfits. However, men constantly show up in just their everyday, casual outfits.
Why is this such a problem? Why should we care about what a bunch of rich and famous people wear?
It’s because these instances are reinforced by blatant sexism.
Women are expected to look their best and be all dolled up while men are not pressured to do the same.
If a woman showed up to a red carpet in basketball shorts and a hoodie, like Adam Sandler, Twitter would go crazy. People might even call her disrespectful. But when Adam Sandler does it, it’s hilarious and barely anyone bats an eye.
Women are held to a higher standard than men when it comes to their looks. It’s not just clothes.
The “Aesthetic Surgery Journal” reported, “the vast majority of plastic surgery procedures are still targeted toward women, with little attention toward men.”
An even more concerning statistic, the New York Post reported that “women surveyed who said they routinely spend money on their appearance spend an average of $3,756 a year (or $313 a month), which adds up to $225,360 throughout their entire lifetime (ages 18-78).”
That’s a quarter of million dollars spent just to appear “better.”
The New York Post continued with a statistic about how “male respondents spend an average of $2,928 per year (or $244 a month), totaling $175,680 or about one-fourth (22 percent) less than women throughout their lifetime.”
Marie Claire published an article, “A comprehensive timeline of men telling women what to wear,” which shows this has been going on for hundreds of years.
It’s clear women are held to a higher standard than men, especially in fashion.
It’s time we stop holding women up to this impossible standard of being perfect and let them be human beings.
