These are gifted adolescent women who don't get to be judged on their impressive talent: their bodies are already paramount to the work they want to do and it's only going to get worse. At sixteen these students are being judged on their sexual attractiveness. Their talent is a gift, but it is not enough.
In her book "Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture," Roxane Gay highlights the struggles faced by gifted adolescent women, who are often assessed more on their physical appearance than their talents. Despite their impressive abilities, these young women find themselves scrutinized for their sexual attractiveness, which overshadows their potential contributions in their respective fields.
This societal focus on body image and attractiveness can be detrimental, particularly when such judgments start at a young age. Gay emphasizes the harsh reality that for these talented adolescents, their artistry and skills may not be enough to overcome the relentless emphasis on how they look, suggesting a concerning trend that could worsen as they grow older.
