Someone once said, “Beauty is in the eye of the spectator.” According to this proverb, beauty is subjective. What looks lovely to one person may not appeal to another. Is beauty in terms of physical appearance, is it truly subjective? When we think about beauty on the outside, aren’t we consciously or unconsciously influenced by certain beauty standards?
Since European beauty standards prioritize skin colors and hairstyles that exclude many black women, specifically those with darker skin, black women are particularly vulnerable to these standards’ impact.
A single person’s personal choices do not determine these beauty standards. They reflect mainstream media trends, slowly establishing an ideal of what a man or woman should look like or try to look like. As a result, expectations are created, based on which we judge whether someone is beautiful or not.
Let’s Take A Look At Some Of These Beauty Standards
Body and Facial Hair
Body hair symbolizes manliness for men, especially in certain areas such as the torso and the face.
But it’s a different story for women. Movies, television shows, and glossy fashion magazines give the impression that women are born with no hair follicles except for those responsible for hair, brows, and eyelashes. Even the models in advertisements for hair removal creams have no body hair! These advertisements always make me wonder what so-called flaws they wanted to remove from their already smooth, flawless skin.
This is not to say that I condemn women who shave their bodies and remove their facial hair. After all, it’s a matter of personal choice. However, we must question the stigma associated with something as natural as body hair. A woman’s body hair may be excessive in some medical conditions, such as PCOS. However, hair does not pose a health risk in and of itself. As a result, there’s no reason to be afraid of female body hair.
Skincare and Makeup
It’s not a stretch to say that most people like to look presentable. Even though it isn’t always, we like to look nice and make a good impression on others. Moreover, since our skin is such an important organ in our bodies, we take various care measures. We all groom ourselves to various degrees. But it is also safe to say that women put in more effort than men.
A discussion of women’s grooming habits would be incomplete without mentioning makeup. A dash of color on one’s face can do wonders for their facial features, allowing one to rule the world outside. Makeup can boost self-esteem because its sole purpose is to make you look good. For these reasons, makeup is an essential part of our daily lives. So, too, is skincare. We bathe in creams, face masks, and other unnamed substances to keep our skin looking its best.
The Impact Of Beauty Standards On Overall Health
According to Psychology Today, “Body preoccupation has become a societal mania.” Both men and women are increasingly dissatisfied with their body image. And the resulting low self-esteem leads many of them to seek cosmetic enhancement. In the local context, a concerned medical doctor expressed concern that “people are killing themselves to look beautiful,” for example, by injecting Botox to hide wrinkles. The extraordinary demand for Botox in the US has raised valid security concerns. A Singaporean actress nearly died due to acute liver damage after believing in slimming pills’ miraculous effects. According to Utusan Malaysia, more than 30 people in the US died of heart disease after taking phentermine-containing slimming pills. During an investigation into a case of adolescent mercury poisoning, it was discovered that many users of a Mexican beauty cream had significantly higher urine mercury concentrations. The above are just a few of the reported health risks associated with beauty products.
Beauty obsession has made major inroads among teenage females. The desire to reduce appetite and lose weight may be a major motivator for adolescent girls to begin and continue smoking. These impressionable young people are also more likely to partake in beauty processes such as brow plucking, ear and lip piercing, and body tattooing. Extreme weight and body size concerns among female adolescents are a major contributor to eating disorders. These include anorexia nervosa and bulimia.
Why Are Today’s Beauty Standards The Way They Are?
Women are expected to wear makeup in their daily lives, work out at the gym, remain slim with curves in the right places, and be young, according to today’s beauty standards. However, what distinguishes today from the past is that we can also express our uniqueness as society has become more inclusive. These trends are all influenced by history and technological advancements that we’re about to tell you all about.
1. Tv And Cinema Changed Makeup Usage
More makeup, such as foundation, eyeliner, and blush, became popular in the 1950s. This was when colored movies were becoming popular, and women started to mimic the theatrical faces they saw on the big screen. Clara Bow, Elizabeth Taylor, and Marilyn Monroe were among the most well-known actresses.
Since then, makeup has played an important role in the lives of many women. Moreover, the global makeup industry will be worth $640 billion by 2020.
2. Celebrities Influence Our Ideal Body Type
Nowadays, the ideal body shape is an exaggerated hourglass with a thin waist and legs and a vast butt and breast. Slimmer bodies were thought to be healthier and more attractive in the 1950s and 1960s. Beauty icons like Brigitte Bardot, Audrey Hepburn, and Sophia Loren greatly influenced this perfect body type.
Later, the “size” supermodel look popularized in the 1990s by Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, and Claudia Schiffer became trendy. These trends still exist today as one ideal body shape that is both slim and curvy.
3. The 1980s Gave Us Fitness Fanaticism
Women like Jane Fonda have popularized fitness since the 1980s. Today, social media inspires women to lose weight and get in shape. This translates to Toned muscles, lifted hips, and flat stomachs.
However, there is a downside, which is mainly due to today’s social media pressure. Rather than promoting a healthier lifestyle, a study found that it can harm many women’s mental health.
4. Photoshop Has Changed The Way We See Ourselves
The perfect body is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve as a result of the invention of Photoshop. Photoshop technology has advanced so much in the last 25 years that it is often difficult to tell when used. It created unrealistic beauty standards for women.
5. Society Is Becoming More Inclusive
Today, there is a lot more acceptance of all body shapes and colors, thanks to icons like Jamie Brewer, Winnie Harlow, and Tess Holliday. There has been a shift in which models from different ethnic backgrounds represent brands, particularly in fashion. Brands like Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty have made it easier for people to find makeup that matches their skin tone.
A growing awareness helped this change that better representation was required, especially in fashion and entertainment.
The Bottom Line
There is a clear imbalance in how men and women are expected to groom themselves according to beauty standards. Women are expected to place too much attention on their outer beauty in determining their self-worth. In contrast, men are expected to do the opposite – to be unconcerned about their outer beauty. To remove these stigmas, we must talk less about women’s physical appearances. These are just a small part of their personalities. We should normalize men boosting their self-confidence by taking care of their faces and skins.
Above all, we should leave these mostly illogical ideals because it is more important to nurture our inner beauty to build a better society that does not judge individuals based on beauty standards.
