Beauty pressure (song)

Feel free to share with women who are dissatisfied with their body or who can't walk outside without wearing make-up...

https://www.facebook.com/TheBellabeth

I got inspired to write this song after I watched the 4th part of the "Killing us softly" (2010) series by
Jean Kilbourne. So in the title of the song "I'm on to you" I'm referring to the media who uses this distorted female body image to get women (and men) to consume.
After I saw the documentary I did some research and found out about the misuse of the "Thin Commandments", pro-ana websites and "thinspirations" - where people like Nicole Richie are being adored for having the "perfect body". Their motto: The thinner the better.
They are being called "wannarexic": they wan't to become anorexic, because they think that thinner is always more beautiful. (this has nothing to do with real anorexia -- no on with anorexia WANTS to have anorexia)

ABOUT ANOREXIA: BEFORE I get angry comments, that say that anorexia is not about being thin or isn't caused by the media: I am aware of the fact that it's not so simple to explain and I know you can't simply tell an anorexic to eat! However, when the society you live in has a collective misconception of a healthy and average female body, it's much easier to "fall for the anorexia trap". Especially when people suddenly compliment you when you start to lose weight.
And women generally diet much more than they used to and are extremely obsessed with their weight, so if I say that girls stop to eat, it doesn't necessarily have to mean that they've become anorexic -- maybe they "only" tried out a crash diet.


Then there's of course the beliefs that signs of ageing have to be hidden, that imperfections can (and should?) be adjusted with plastic surgery and that working towards a size 0 (when you aren't naturally very thin) is desirable...

-------------------------------Links to the photos I used
(all with a creative commons licence, I hope the artists still approve)

thank you Daniel Lehelm:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/daniellehelm/3966677193/
thank you Christy Mckenna :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/42730198@N08/5227053414/
thank you melohel:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/66841817@N05/6679163863/
thank you soundlessfall:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/soundlessfall/4713541894/
thank you Lindsey Hutchinson:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lindseyhutchinsonphoto/5798390115/

---------------------------------Links to the quotes I used:

Over 80% of adult women are unhappy with their appearance:
http://www.mybodybeautiful.co.uk/body_image/BodyImage_Studies.htm
13 negative body thoughts daily:
http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/2011/02/shocking-body-image-news-97-per...
The current media ideal for women is achievable by less than 5%:
http://www.sirc.org/publik/mirror.html
statistics about plastic surgeries:
http://www.surgery.org/media/news-releases/demand-for-plastic-surgery-rebound...

(phew a lot of text here... will anybody read this??!)


---------------------------------------------------LYRICS-----------------------­---------------------

They got her at an early age
she learned that she would have to change
her body is the enemy
to be loved she better be a dream

They always find another flaw
she can't be herself any more
Cause now it's irrefutable
She has to be young and beautiful

But when a little girl of 12
slowly starts to starve herself
cause she knows from Magazines
that this how she is supposed to be
-
At this point she can't recall
when she started feeling wrong
I'm on to you
I'm on to you

Hey girl watch out you're getting old
I heard you'll soon be 34
Don't worry I have got the skills
Cause I know this doctor and I take great pills

[Chorus]

Come let me show you
how to improve you
so you can lead the perfect life
you will be loved and
you will be worth it
but where have all those
perfect girls gone??

She feels she's worth nothing at all
cause they don't call her beautiful
despite the fact that she
already had six surgeries
Though she didn't eat for days
and followed their pro-ana ways
a thinspiration in her sight
she still never felt quite all right

That's why those little girls of twelve
slowly start to starve themselves
cause they know from Magazines
that this is how they are supposed to be

But you are who you're gonna be
from now through all eternity
and you will be your only friend
who's gonna stay until the very end

Category:

Music

Tags:

• I'm
• am
• on
• to
• onto
• you
• thebellabeth
• bellabeth
• killing
• us
• softly
• plastic
• surgery
• anorexia
• eating
• disorder
• make
• up
• women
• female
• distorted
• body
• image
• addictive
• drums
• korg
• sp
• 250
• panasonic
• hdc
• sd909
• beauty
• pressure

[chezzabrez]

I can not stop listening to this song :-) its beautiful!!!

[TheBellabeth]

@chezzabrez That's wonderful, thanks! :)

[GabeSharwars]

I'm liking the drums!

[TheBellabeth]

@GabeSharwars addictive drums :)

[ultramarathon50]

I am speechless with admiration!

CONGRATS

[TheBellabeth]

@ultramarathon50 thank you *_*