Society has different standards for men and women. From what they should wear to how they should look like, these qualities are implemented in pop culture, such as younger girls and boys being taught that looking suitable means they should dream of looking like actors, singers, and influencers that follow modern standards (eg. skinny, straight hair, etc.).
Another way how these societal norms are implemented is through consumption. Brands do their best to sell a specific body type or image so that you will use their products.
Illustrator Lainey Molnar gives her take on gender norms by showing how our society treats men and women differently. In a series of images that went viral on Instagram, the artist shows how we deem it “normal” when men don’t shave, but for women, it is “unhygienic” or “disgusting.”
One of the images in the series had a caption from Molnar, stating “the math is not mathing,” with the hashtag “you do you.”
Here’s our take on all of this: what’s best is that you do what makes you happy and comfortable. Also, remember: different people have varying choices in how they present themselves to the world. Try to understand them a little bit!
Image credit: Azra Tuba Demir