It seems as though women’s current means of success and recognition orbit around their sexual appeal or attractiveness. As a young woman, it is surprising to see the divide among fellow women when it comes to superficial objectifications and how they hinder our progression towards sexual equality.

If you are on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, or other social media, you have most likely seen the countless number of “goals” posts that praise unrealistic relationships, hair, facial features, or body images expectations—the list goes on. Not only do these posts idolize situations and images that, frankly, are not commonly seen among “normal” people, especially women, but they also hold female celebrities on a pedestal simply for their physical appearance rather than their contributions to society.

There has never been a time when I have checked social media and have not seen an obviously over-edited picture of a young, attractive female celebrity with the caption, “GOALS.” Surely, they are beautiful, but is that really the only thing they are worthy of being recognized for?

Half of the time, the female celebrities portrayed in these glamour images have more to offer than beautiful images of themselves. There are countless images of celebrities like Selena Gomez and Emma Watson indicative of their outer appearance alone, but how often do people see posts about their contributions as United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund Ambassadors?

On top of all this pressure to look a certain way, a 2014 survey conducted by Ohio State University shows that “64 percent of women reported that looking at pictures on sites like Facebook and Instagram makes them feel bad about their body.”

The constant feed of unrealistic images only leads general viewers to feel negative about their own image. Young women are becoming so engulfed by these unattainable ideals that they believe their own image is insignificant compared to that of models and celebrities.

A 2014 study by Dove shows that 82 percent of women believe “social media drives the definition of beauty.” This reiterates social media’s reach on our generation’s thought process, particularly among young women.

After Kim Kardashian was ridiculed for her nude selfie on Twitter, followers tried to use pride in self-image and sexuality as a platform for justifying the post. Although women should feel empowered by their physical being, it should not be a defining aspect of women and their worth.

If women wish to be on an equal playing field with men, there has to be an end to using feminine allure as a way of becoming successful. Not only does it continue to place women in a submissive role to men, it makes it seem as though sexuality and attractiveness, rather than knowledge and skill, have to be used to make any huge impression, as a way to climb to the top.

In addition, social media is the first place where shaming and harassing women is found to be entertaining and comical. The sad part about this is that the images and videos of women in harmful or embarrassing situations would not go viral if men alone were watching them—women are finding them amusing as well.

This shows that women are not at the place where they can all come together and lift each other up. If we continue to allow women to suffer at the expense of a joke on how they look, I promise that we will continue to be treated inferior to men.

Social media and society should take a turn from swarming women’s minds with unrealistic goals and ideas of what the masses deems them “beautiful” or “acceptable.” The focus should be on how women can make a positive changes in the world.

It is time to honor the vanguards of women who use brains and hard-work to become significant and salute those who continue the fight for equality of the sexes; the obsession with physical attributions as a confirmation for worthiness will only lead the female population backwards in society.