"Pretty Little Liars"--Emphasis on the "Pretty"

     There's this show on the air called Pretty Little Liars, and for those of you who missed the link on the bottom of the video, it's on ABC family, which is not exactly known for airing quality programs. (Popular? Yes. Intelligent? No.) Some of you might remember (or still watch) The Secret Life of the American Teenager, which also aired on this channel. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I used to be a religious follower of "Secret Life." The acting was terrible. The script was even worse. But there was one thing about this show that kept on drawing me back: the clothes. Every last character possessed an amazing wardrobe and dressed as if she had a professional stylist (which she probably did). The same goes for "Liars." As you can tell from this promo of the episode I watched, all these young women look immaculate no matter what they're doing or how they're feeling. Their eyebrows are perfectly plucked, their makeup beautifully applied, their hair fresh from the salon, and their clothes taken right from the newest arrivals at Nordstrom. Each time I watch this show, I can't help but obsess over my looks. I think that I must look like that and dress like that in order to be considered...well...pretty. I can't help but wonder if I am alone in my thinking; if perhaps other young women look at these actresses and want to emulate them. A quick trip to posts on YouTube and abcfamily.com convince me that I'm not. Almost every last comment talks about the girls' looks, and one poster says, "Lucy is so very pretty [. . .] wish I looked like these girls."

     There's nothing wrong with being beautiful or celebrating beauty. The problem I have with the beauty celebrated on Pretty Little Liars is the fact that it's the same beauty for all four girls! Each girl has the same haircut, the same clothing style, and the same makeup. Even the ethnically diverse girls have sleek, straight hair; delicate features; soft eyes; and shiny lips. They're basically all trying to look Caucasian. In addition, they all have the same body type: slender while still slightly curvy. When teenage girls are given only one cookie-cutter model to fit into, it leads to them being harsher critics of their own bodies. We need to have more shows featuring plus-size women, non-white women, or heck, even women with curly hair or pimples. Maybe then young women will feel more confident and less like they always need to live up to an unrealistic standard.