Reservoir of Images

I believe that we are all aware of the reservoir of images that each of us carry. It is how we form our ideas of what is 'default' and how things are 'supposed' to be. Some of these images are normal and help us form useful judgments. If I'm looking for a house, for example, and I notice that the one I'm touring is rotting from the inside out, the image I'm taking in does not coincide with what a house 'should be' according to my reservoir of images, so I don't buy the house. In this sense, the collection of images I carry around can be an invaluable asset to functioning in society. However, these images, especially ones that are fabricated by the media, can also be detrimental. These are the images that tell us what it 'is' to be male or female. According to many sources, to be male is to be muscular, tall, heroic, and unafraid. To be female is to be sexy, thin, fashionable and passive. While these traits may fit some, they certainly do not fit the everyone and because we compare everyone with images from our reservoirs, we are quicker to judge others and ourselves due to unrealistic expectations.

So I guess what I'm really trying to say here is that it's important to know which images in our collection are realistic and which are fabricated by authorities that do not directly govern our lives or our thoughts.