Search For Love

 In today's society, we are constantly trained and reminded to search for love - to seek a sense of outward attention and appreciation. While yes, to love and to be loved are two beautiful emotions, society has turned this natural human feeling into something that was never before intended. With this being said, young women today are continually reminded that she must look and act a certain way in order to attract her male counterparts - whether it be to dress a certain way, wear makeup, the list goes on. Young women are forced to search endlessly for this love, but truly what does this love feel or look like in our world today? Because while yes women are taught to seek out this outward attention, she is also told to not seek too much attention; that would cause her to be deemed in a different light than she may have originally intended. With this being said, she should put herself on display, but to an extent. And who decides this extent? Her male peers.

With this being said, why can we as women not be taught to search for love within ourselves?

In furthering this, Hughes' piece "To a Little Lover-Lass, Dead" portrays the story of a woman who changed her search for love; ultimately, she decides to focus on herself, instead. For instance, Hughes states, "She who searched for lovers in the night has gone the quiet way" (Hughes, Lines 1-4). Hughes then goes on to explain the way in which the woman has now decided to focus on her own personal growth and self-love. 

In saying this, while many songs today further perpetuate this longstanding trope surrounding women, there are still some that combat this stigma. A primary example of which being "Hard on Yourself" by Charlie Puth and Blackbear. For instance, the song starts in stating, "I can see you're strugglin' promise you'll find love again [...] Yeah, why you gotta try so hard? Counting calories and carbs" (Puth and Blackbear). With this being said, the pair note the stark reality of women today - a reality that forces women to search for outward love and attention, rather than from themselves.