Kavya
The beauty standard is a widely varying one. The concept of beauty is constantly evolving. One moment you require a light complexion to be attractive, the next you don’t. To be beautiful, you must be thin one second and thicker than a bowl of oatmeal the very next. Straight hair is fashionable one minute, but natural hair is required the next. It is in no way consistent. Notions of feminine beauty types vary not only by culture but also over time.
In an era when women experience one social barrier after the next, national newspaper matrimonials still read, “fair and tall girls, who actually cook, required. We continue to fail to look beyond the obvious. Physical appearance is nothing more than a mask that hides the soul, but alas! Most people are unaware of this reality. Isn’t being a little overrated? After all, what exactly is “pretty”?
One place where these unrealistic beauty standards are intentionally and unintentionally promoted in the media. Let this serve as a reminder to you, especially if you are prone to succumbing to the curse of the standard, to curate your social media feeds. We have a say about what we eat, and I recommend letting go of anything that leaves you feeling inadequate or unattractive.
Impact on Mental and Physical Health
Desiring to meet or fit into these toxic beauty standards can cause depression, eating disorders, loss of confidence, and a variety of other adverse repercussions. Wanting to meet toxic beauty standards can have a negative impact on your mental and physical health. You are stunning. Don’t waste your time trying to meet a standard that can’t even be met consistently.
Beauty Is Complex
A standard that is unconcerned about you. Don’t allow society to put the burden on you. Don’t fall victim to social media ideals. We are becoming more and more accommodating because people have demanded it, protested for it, and used social media as a bully pulpit to dishonour beauty’s gatekeepers into opening the gates wider. Of course, beauty is influenced by culture. Whatever one community admires may irritate or even repulse others. What one person finds irresistible is met with a shrug from another. Beauty is subjective. However, it is also universal at the same time. It’s complex and lies in the eyes of the beholder.
Go for It. If…
But then it’s alright to what makes you happy. If wearing a beautiful dress would make you think you are pretty, go for it. If wearing a bold red lip would make you feel like a boss, go for it. If losing a little bit of weight would make you more confident, go for it. Do it for yourself and not for others eyes. If you ever want to improve anything about your physique or your appearance, make it a deliberate decision for yourself and to please yourself. It should not be a choice made to satisfy a varying standard and system in which you are the poster child of beauty one day and not the next.
Let us free ourselves from the shackles of beauty standards.
