“To be sure, beauty is a form of power. And deservedly so.”- -- Susan Sontag, American writer 

I was once told that “ugly” women weren’t capable of having any authority over men because it is only possible when women are considered attractive. Women in history have proved this statement wrong by showing society that women are equal to men and that we exist as powerful beings in spite of our looks. The quote above, although I do not agree with it, becomes true in some situations. The sad reality is that in our society, a lot of the time, women are given positions of power strictly based on looks. It saddens me that this is a regular occurrence in our world and change needs to happen. Outside evidence and personal evidence have shaped my opinion on this topic and have helped me realize how wicked our society seems. Although women's beauty can impact their amount of power, women still have the ability to become successful and authoritative no matter how they look.

Outside evidence that supports this information is women in history who have gained respect and power through their actions and not through how they look and what they wear. Rosa Parks’ story shows this well. Rosa Parks existed as an intelligent and powerful woman of the past. During the 1900’s, segregation occurred to a great extent. As a civil rights activist, Rosa Parks showed bravery unlike any other. On December 1, 1955, Parks refused to give up her seat for a white male on the Cleveland Avenue bus. On that day, Parks was arrested, sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott. These occurrences soon led to the end of segregation in public areas.   Rosa Parks influenced her community and gained their respect with her inspiring efforts and accomplishments. When thinking about Rosa Parks, people don’t remember her by her authoritative looks, they remember her by her authoritative actions.

Children never forget the things they experience that have impacted their self-esteem and confidence. Growing up, I remember hearing people say things about how other people look. I would watch how people continuously treated others differently if they looked a certain way. All people struggle with insecurity issues, and for some, it can be a life consuming thing. When women are told they aren’t beautiful enough, or they aren't what society considers “beautiful” it can truly affect their mental health and confidence. Beauty standards for all people are completely irrelevant and should not exist. People cannot control the way they look, but they can control the way they act. Beauty is perceived as what people look like on the outside, when in reality, real beauty exists in how people treat others. Kindness shines brightly through people like stage lights at a musical. Our society is very looks-based and I despise that part about our world. If people were to completely disregard the way someone looks and listen to their ideas, opinions, and voice,  our society would flourish because we would all exist as equal and people would not be discriminated against.

In conclusion, saying that a woman's beauty influences their power over men is sadly, in some circumstances, a true statement. But women in history have proved this statement to not always remain correct, women should take note of these leaders and follow their example. It should not remain normalized that authority can only exist if you look a certain way. I hope that as our world ages people will stop setting unrealistic beauty standards because real beauty remains on the inside.