What really makes a woman successful? Despite the 20s being deemed the age of ‘woke-ness’ and equality, we still cannot truly answer this question. There are different domains of success… for some it’s a thriving career, for others it’s a traditional family unit and for the rest of us it's none of the above.  The media thinks that they have the authority to answer this age-old question and slap a definition for ‘successful woman’ in the dictionary. The definition applies to 1% of the skinny blonde big-boobed female population (no disrespect) and if you don’t meet the physical requirement… good luck out there. 

The media fixation on idealized physical appearance equalling a successful career has been present in society since the beginning of time, it’s entrenched in the very depths of our patriarchal society. Think of 50s cinema actresses – Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Sofia Loren – all of whom were unbelievably talented actresses, yet most of their success was defined by the fact that they were beautiful, and that they could do their job. As I said, this is (heartbreakingly) still completely relevant and duplicated in today’s society, our current comparisons are the likes of Scarlett Johannsson, Sofia Vergara, and Jennifer Aniston. All fantastic actresses, but their success is also defined by their ability to appear young and beautiful too – every second post on my Facebook newsfeed is ‘Jennifer Anniston CANNOT be fifty!!!! She looks too good’ with a million heart-eye emojis. Ground-breaking that a woman can age and still be attractive… and dare we say a good actress.

The emphasis society puts on beauty for measuring women’s success simply cannot be denied and this can be applied to every section of the industry. I give you three perfect personifications of this systematic media issue: Billie Eilish, Adele, and Khloe Kardashian. 

A 16 year-old Billie Eilish catapulted to success for her angsty-teen sad girl style and her ‘peculiar’ dress sense. But, even from the get-go, she was sexualized despite being underage and her baggy clothes were seen as prudish and concealing. The media honed in on her immaturity (or more so, her acting her age) so much that there were many creeps waiting on her 18th Birthday to virtually devour her physique more than they already had been. (flashbacks to the likes of Emma Watson, and currently Millie Bobby Brown). Critiques on her physique at times overlooked her insane music career, and after releasing the iconic blonde haired Vogue cover and her tulle Marilyn-inspired gown at the MET Gala… the internet BROKE. Sexual comments and desperate praise poured in for the girl who had finally became a woman (because she had some cleavage and a skirt on) that suddenly media outlets such as Buzzfeed and Pop Sugar jumped on the stan train and praised her 4-year old albums that weren’t even given a glance when her appearance differed from that of the media’s brief. It’s blatantly clear that in the media, pretty = successful and it deeply enrages me, and I hope it enrages you too. 

The incomparable Adele recently lost a fair amount of weight (if you didn’t already know), which was then labeled as a ‘glow-up’ by many media outlets. In fact, it is believed her next album, set to release November 19th, will perhaps be her most successful yet, and the media obsession around her weight loss has undeniably worked as free promo for this, whether she intended it or not. Despite Adele releasing record-breaking albums and having perhaps one of the most iconic voices EVER, once again, the importance was placed on her appearance. 

Last but not least, The Kardashians. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, are pop culture icons. Of course, Kim is the OG, but all of the family are known for their beauty and Kris Jenner’s insane work ethic. However, it was not always this way. Khloe Kardashian was referred to as the ‘fat one’, ‘odd one’ and not even referred to as Robert Kardashian’s daughter by media outlets until she lost a lot of weight. From that point on, she had magazine covers, her denim company Good American took off, and even a TV show (‘Revenge Body with Khloe Kardashian’). She was even more successful than Kourtney, and as much as we’d like to deny it, this promotion was due to the fact she changed her physical appearance to fit the bill. 

And so here we are, hopefully enraged at the media and the patriarchy. Can we ever separate women’s success from society’s beauty standards? Will we ever be able to celebrate women’s achievements, no matter the industry, without considering their waist size? Or should we just put earphones in and blast Lizzo until the day comes? You tell me.