The Pressure to Be Perfect
The Bell Jar and Black Swan: The Pressure to be Perfect
In a society where competition among others and influences from the media are becoming increasingly prevalent by the decade, it is easy for one to feel the extreme pressure to be perfect. Many individuals face the internal conflict of feeling that they are not adequate enough for various personal or societal standards, often leading to unhealthy insecurities, mental and emotional instabilities, and identity crises. Firstly, society’s reminders to individuals to reach a superficial level of perfection create unhealthy stress within oneself, leading to progressive depression. Furthermore, the even harsher mental and emotional pressures put on by one’s loved ones accumulate to cause breakdowns and self-harm, ultimately negatively affecting the relationship between the two parties as the issues worsen. Lastly, the unbelievable pressures to be perfect that is put on an individual by the individual themselves are the major force that may lead one to end their life. Plath’s The Bell Jar and Aronofsky’s Black Swan contain value as they demonstrate how the various ways in which an individual experiences the pressure to be perfect are among the most destructive forces in a person’s life.
Society’s constant reminders to individuals to reach a superficial level of perfection create unhealthy stress within oneself, leading to progressive depression. Often times, external influences such as the media to meet societal standards or reach the “status quo” can make an individual feel defeated if they cannot match up to all that society demands of them. The Bell Jar takes place in the 1960’s, where the societal standards were much more traditional and conservative than they are today. The young protagonist in this novel, Esther Greenwood, finds herself trying to achieve a successful life as a student in New York while battling the extreme pressures from her surroundings – kick-starting her struggles with internal
In a society where competition among others and influences from the media are becoming increasingly prevalent by the decade, it is easy for one to feel the extreme pressure to be perfect. Many individuals face the internal conflict of feeling that they are not adequate enough for various personal or societal standards, often leading to unhealthy insecurities, mental and emotional instabilities, and identity crises. Firstly, society’s reminders to individuals to reach a superficial level of perfection create unhealthy stress within oneself, leading to progressive depression. Furthermore, the even harsher mental and emotional pressures put on by one’s loved ones accumulate to cause breakdowns and self-harm, ultimately negatively affecting the relationship between the two parties as the issues worsen. Lastly, the unbelievable pressures to be perfect that is put on an individual by the individual themselves are the major force that may lead one to end their life. Plath’s The Bell Jar and Aronofsky’s Black Swan contain value as they demonstrate how the various ways in which an individual experiences the pressure to be perfect are among the most destructive forces in a person’s life.
Society’s constant reminders to individuals to reach a superficial level of perfection create unhealthy stress within oneself, leading to progressive depression. Often times, external influences such as the media to meet societal standards or reach the “status quo” can make an individual feel defeated if they cannot match up to all that society demands of them. The Bell Jar takes place in the 1960’s, where the societal standards were much more traditional and conservative than they are today. The young protagonist in this novel, Esther Greenwood, finds herself trying to achieve a successful life as a student in New York while battling the extreme pressures from her surroundings – kick-starting her struggles with internal
Cited: Plath, Sylvia. The Bell Jar. New York: Harper & Row, 1971. Print. Black Swan. Dir. Darren Aronofsky. Pheonix Pictures, 2010. DVD.