In today’s culture expectations for men and women alike are ridiculous. The molds created by society are almost, if not completely impossible to fit into without chipping off a bit of yourself to make it look like you’ve always fit in. Frankly, it’s unfair for men and women to have to think that the way they act and look should reflect those in popular culture today. Media today is unhealthy for men and women alike.

Men in today’s culture are presented as three different types: Slim but muscular, usually pale skinned with dark hair and a ‘mysterious air’, business-like and proper, or burly and rugged. These two models don’t even come close to portraying the average male; men are shown as strong and masculine in any ads for anything a man uses. From clothes to cologne to different ties, things men wear and use every day are made to look like they could be brought on a manly hiking trip or brought to the golf course. Even their cologne and deodorant has to prove their manliness by either getting them as many women as they want. In media, men are portrayed as rough, well-exercised, humorous and all-around manly. Media sets an unrealistic expectation for any male that wants to do anything with his life but be a manly man. Television shows tend to make men look like the head of any operation, making them the boss and making them have a go-to attitude where they’re ready to protect at a moments notice. These types of men are often shown in good physical and mental health and, in all, cold. They rarely show any emotion that portrays weakness; such as sadness. Men today are made to think that they have to be manly in order to be worth something in society. They’re shown that if they show emotion they’re weak or trivial. It’s unhealthy for anybody’s mental health to hold in their emotions, and men are taught to do that from childhood.

Women in advertisements have quite a few constants. Most are white with an unusual eye color with a striking haircut and color. All of them will be skinny but still have an ample bra size and curves. Some even lack the last two; trading nice curves for a too-skinny body. Ladies shown in most advertisements and are what little girls see on shelves at the bookstore or on television. These unhealthy body types and expectations for girls around every bend are dangerous and toxic to the minds of our youth and to everybody else. Celebrity women are made fun of if they have too much fat when they go to the beach and wear a bikini; they’re also tracked through their pregnancy to see their first sign of weight gain- and don’t even start on how fast they need to get off that baby weight. Women today are taught that if you’re not skinny you’re not beautiful. It’s a poisonous thought process, leading to eating disorders and mental disorders. Speaking of mental, let’s discuss how women act in television shows and other forms of media. THey’re shown as submissive, stupid, pretty, and fragile half the time. When they aren’t shown as this, they’re shown as the boss-woman that may be a jerk but gets the job done. Neither of these are an okay way to show women. The submissive women can be quirky but will always be faithful to her stereotypical boyfriend. The bossy one will always be portrayed as so, rarely taken out of character. It’s an annoying fad that producers need to stop.

All in all this isn’t fair. In this author’s opinion, one should be able to be portrayed however they want; not influenced by the views of the public. Media should not be able to shape who we wish to be today. A man or a woman should be able to chose how they want to approach life, not shoved into a part that a person will never be able to play, like an actor in a play that just can’t seem to connect with their character. Television shows need to either clean up their stereotypes or cancel their shows because, the truth is, most shows don’t portray anything good for either gender. Magazines should stop using photoshop to make somebody look ‘perfect.’ It makes kids and adults alike fear about what they look like which should never be something anybody should have to worry about. Media is poisonous to the mind, making it degenerate over time into conforming to the ideas branded into it about how the perfect man or woman should act and look.

Today’s men and women are bombarded by all sorts of media everyday that can be horrid to their mental health. Showing men and women to fit into some sort of ever-changing but somehow always constant mold is ridiculous. Hopefully the mold will be broken soon and people will realize they’re lovely just the way they are.