Beauty Standards Impact Gender Equality

How beauty brands have been corrupting the mindset of the entire world, Nomi Wolf says in her book 'The Beauty Myth', “the quality called beauty objectively and universally exists. Women must want to embody it, and men must want to possess women who embody it.” The author brings to light an important issue that plagues women: body insecurity. This insecurity has such a significant impact on women's mental well-being that it leads to a host of issues, such as depression, anxiety, and other related problems. The prevalence of eating disorders among women is also a matter of concern, with studies indicating that women are more likely to suffer from such disorders than men, with anorexia nervosa being one of the most well-known disorders. People suffering from this disorder tend to believe that they are overweight, even if they are underweight. It generally develops during adolescence or young adulthood and tends to affect more women than men.

This perfect body image has been enshrined in everyone’s mind in such a way that it’s difficult to even be body-positive. Even in almost all of the images of gods and goddesses, there's a perfect body with pretty faces. Well, those pictures are a reflection of society. Jane Dipika Garrett became the first plus-sized candidate representing Nepal to compete for Miss Universe 2023. Well, it took 71 years to accept the fact that beauty pageants must not be made just about the so-called perfect body. Well, Miss Universe is defying the standards by allowing transwomen, mothers, and divorcees to participate in the competition. Miss World, on the other hand, has no such realisation. Well, we are now celebrating what should have been normal. These beauty standards exist only for women to make them insecure about themselves and lose confidence in doing anything other than maintaining themselves.

Structural violence manifests in various forms, including gender-based discrimination in various aspects of life. Women, for instance, are often paid less than men for the same job. They may also be overlooked for certain job opportunities, particularly those that require physical labor. However, in certain professions, such as air hostess or receptionist, women with attractive features may be preferred. Krishna Abiral, in his book Laal Chudi, mentioned how society controls women's entire lives and limits their lives to just getting married. He portrayed only one story about society.

In 2016, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Gallup conducted a survey to find out whether women across the world preferred to work in paid employment, take care of their families, or do both. The survey results were surprising, as they revealed that 70 per cent of women, regardless of their employment status, preferred to work in paid employment. Looking at the status of Nepal from the same research, 56 per cent of women desired to work in paid employment, whereas only 21 per cent of women had worked in paid employment. According to the same research, in terms of workforce participation rates, women lag significantly behind men globally. The current statistics indicate that the participation rate for women is almost 25 per cent lower than that of men. This disparity is more pronounced in certain regions, where the difference exceeds 50 percentage points.

A girl in her stand-up comedy mentioned that if a period was to happen to a male, they would have made an extremely big deal about it. If they would get periods, we would be celebrating “period day.” There would be a period minister and a PMS relief fund. They would be very understanding about each other having periods. Can you believe the government imposes a tax on sanitary pads? The state really expects girls under the age of 10 to pay taxes to the government. Well, the reality was only heard because she made it sound hilarious. If you ask any woman who bleeds if she would want to, if it was an option, then mark these words: not a single woman wants to bleed. Governments have been exempting the tax on condoms, considering it one of the most basic needs and important from a reproductive health perspective. Well, menstruation is one of the main reasons for reproduction; it is not even a choice; it doesn’t have a withdrawal option. So all these laws, rules, and regulations are more inclined towards the betterment of men.

Feminism isn't responsible for double responsibility. It's a dominant mindset that refuses to take responsibility for household work. As women, we promote learning household chores as a basic human need. Every individual should possess fundamental survival skills. The notion that a woman is lucky to have a husband who helps with housework is outdated. We should be concerned that our husbands and sons lack awareness of these essential human needs.

If males are to be males, if males every man thinks nothing apart from sex, as published by Professor Sheridan Simove, which soon became the best seller, why are women blamed for being rape victims? If males cannot keep their hands to themselves and if men can’t control themselves, isn’t it absurd to think that they can control the nation and the world?

Few women globally are successful because only a handful have been given a fair chance. A woman is seen as incomplete without marriage, and if she pursues a career, she must prioritise household duties first.

We have always asked instead of fighting for even our basic needs! We have worked tirelessly to distance ourselves from being labelled as a weaker section of society. We have fought for our property rights, our citizenship rights, and our right to choose when it comes to abortion. We have also fought for the exemption of tax on sanitary pads, recognising that it is a basic necessity for women. We have demanded equal pay for equal work and equal opportunities for all. We have stood up against violence in all its forms, refusing to be silenced. Although some of our rights have been codified, many still remain unacknowledged and unenforced. Despite this, we continue to fight daily for our rights and for a fair and just society.

Every year, from November 25th to December 10th, a global campaign against gender-based violence is conducted. Various organisations arrange awareness programmes, advocacy is done worldwide, different international and national conferences are held, and individuals come together, even if it is through their social media platforms. However, the sad part is that the campaign ends on December 10th, and people wait for another year to do something about it. As the new year begins, my resolution is to remind everyone time and again to take practical steps to end gender disparity.

The words of William Shakespeare resonate deeply when it comes to bringing about change. "Nothing changes if nothing changes" may seem like an oversimplification, but it is a reminder that taking action is necessary to achieve progress. Consistency, perseverance, and core values are key to ending inequality. We must unite, collaborate, and use our unique skills and perspectives to make progress. Let's keep moving forward, no matter how hard the road ahead.

(The author is pursuing  BA.LLB. at Kathmandu School of Law)