Paradigm Shifts

A paradigm shift is defined as a fundamental change in approach or underlying assumptions. In today's society, our philosophy and views of certain standards have obviously undergone many changes under the years. The following are two examples of paradigm shifts that have recently occurred within our culture.

1. Standards of Beauty for Women

The standards of beauty that re determined by society have changed drastically over the years. The ideal body for women is more unattainable than ever, and most of this is accounted for by the rise of photoshop. In the 1950s, Marilyn Monroe was one of the most iconic sex symbols in the world.

In the media today, you're more likely to see someone who looks like Megan Fox portrayed as having an ideal body type.

In the 1950s, it was not uncommon to see advertisements of ways for women to gain weight. Society saw a fuller figure as more desirable and encouraged women to strive for that ideal. In today's culture, you would be more likely to see advertisements encouraging women to lose weight. This paradigm shift has resulted in lower self-esteem in women because of their inability to reach the unattainable standards set in place by society.

2. Gay Marriage

Gay marriage is another paradigm shift that is relevant in today's society. With the legislation that was just passed making gay marriage legal in all fifty states of America, we have made some huge progress in being accepting of people from all walks of life. The old paradigm that stigmatized our perception of gay people was that they were immoral in a religious sense or that their love was somehow wrong or destructive of the traditional values that our culture has held on to for so long. However, what we are now beginning to realize is that gender does not determine someone's right to love another, so it should also not determine someone's right to get married.