Why you think you're ugly

“Why You Think You’re Ugly” Critical Resource Response

Every day we are judged on our appearance, whether it’s by a stranger, family or friends. In the Ted Talk, “Why You Think You’re Ugly” Melissa Butler discusses today’s beauty standard and how toxic it can be. Butler claims that women are taught that their main sense of value comes from how they look. In this essay I will argue how society has made women feel as if their value stems from their looks, by creating an ideal image for beauty, creating trends for beauty, and by always making the discussion about women have something to do with their appearance. 

It’s no secret that when people think of beauty a specific image comes to mind, which can make many girls who don’t look this way feel like they aren’t beautiful. Butler said, “Today if you search the word beauty you’ll end up with a sea of fair-skinned, thin, young women as if looks don’t come in any other form.” This is so damaging to young girls, because they are constantly associating beauty with these images, which can result in them feeling like the only way to be beautiful is to look like that. Which shows how society has made women feel like they aren’t valuable if they don’t look like the “ideal” beauty image. 

Beauty standards for women seem to go in waves, as if women are just objects that can go in and out of style. Butler said in her Ted Talk, “Surgery on your butt and thigh is up 4200% since the year 2000.” That’s because right now large butts are “in”. Society tells women if they want to be beautiful they have to have a large butt. This results in women feeling like if they just get surgery and fix this one thing their life will be so much better. Women will go as far as to get surgery to change themselves, because society makes women feel like their value in life is directly linked to their looks. 

It seems no matter how successful women become the discussion always seems to finally result back to their appearance. For example when Hillary Clinton ran for president, one of the main points of discussion was what color suit she was wearing, while her male opponents' outfits were never discussed. Butler said, “Women are starting businesses, taking office, taking over the world essentially, and we’re still relegated to this idea that beauty and our looks are most important.” This shows that women have come so far, yet society still places value on women’s appearances.

Overall, this ted talk showed how much pressure women are put under in order to feel beautiful, which is why women can feel as if their value stems from their looks. This is so important because the way we discuss women needs to change, so more women can feel like their value lies outside their appearance.