Selective breeding, genetic engineering, chemical treatments, dyeing and colour enhancement, pruning and grafting. For centuries, people have been manipulating flowers and plants in order to create new and unique hybrids and varieties, adapt them to diverse environmental challenges and improve their resilience, extend their lifespan, enhance their beauty and aesthetic appeal - and in doing so, increase their commercial value. Sounds familiar?
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↓Women’s bodies are often, similarly, subjected to societal pressures and unrealistic expectations, seen not just as natural forms but as objects to be controlled, critiqued, altered and molded to fit narrow ideals. Unrealistic beauty standards, ageism, and the frequent dismissal of women’s health concerns complicate how women experience and relate to our bodies, resulting in significant physical, emotional, and psychological consequences.
2/4↓Much like flowers are cultivated to appear flawless, women face constant pressure to conform to idealized beauty standards—emphasizing thinness, grace, youth, and perfection. (Social) media normalizes these unattainable ideals, leading women to internalize them and experience issues like low self-esteem, anxiety, body shame, body dysmorphia and eating disorders. Many resort to plastic surgery or disordered eating to meet these narrow standards. While cosmetic procedures are not inherently problematic and can be a valid personal choice for those seeking greater comfort in their appearance, they often reflect societal pressure to prioritize physical perfection, complicating women’s relationships with their bodies and mental health.
3/4↓In healthcare systems, women’s medical concerns are often dismissed at higher rates than those of men, with many cases of pain or illness attributed to emotional instability. This bias is exacerbated by the fact that medical research on the female body remains significantly behind that done on male bodies, leaving women underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed. The constant sexualization and objectification further alienate us from our bodies. From a young age, we are taught to view ourselves through the lens of desirability, often reducing our self-worth to how sexually appealing we are to others. The struggle for bodily autonomy is thus a deeply personal and political one, as women navigate a world that constantly seeks to diminish our physical and emotional experiences.
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