“Looks are everything” is a cliche most people have probably heard of before. While this belief is often criticized as incorrect and toxic, it is a significant part of society that many people subconsciously agree with. Beauty standards are having a dominating effect in society today, particularly among young adults. With the support of social media and technology, beauty standards are impacting people in both positive and negative ways.
“Beauty” is given a definition based on the stereotypical appearances that are the most valued and praised. This results in “beauty standards”, the rubric used to assess people’s appearances. Long legs, flawless skin, big eyes, an hourglass figure, all come to mind when we think of the perfect female body. Although beauty standards are most commonly used for females, there are also certain physical preferences for the male body such as lean, muscular, broad shoulders, etc.
Korea is particularly well-known for its beauty standards,
as shown on the right. The k-pop (Korean pop) industry shapes idols’ appearances based on these guidelines.
Negatives
Beauty standards have numerous unhealthy and toxic effects. These negative impacts can be categorized into two main sections: public judgement and self-judgement. Public judgement includes body shaming and hurtful comments from others, but self-judgement is the biggest issue that most people face. The constant comparison to the perfect image on social media is extremely damaging to a person’s morale and mental and physical health. Unconfidence in one’s body image often leads to unhealthy dieting and harmful methods such as plastic surgery or skin bleaching in an attempt to achieve a prettier appearance. In more extreme cases, people attempt self-harm or even suicide due to their unsatisfactory with their body images. Beauty standards also promote an excessive focus on materialism rather than inner beauty. Young adults often find it difficult to feel content with their bodies. Approximately 80% of U.S. women are unhappy with their appearances, and 34% of men are unhappy with their bodies.
Positives
Although people often criticize beauty standards (and rightfully so), they also have various positive effects that should be recognized. One of the biggest benefits of beauty standards is the motivation for people to strive to improve. Rather than artificial methods such as plastic surgery, many have chosen to adopt healthier lifestyles like healthy dieting and working out to achieve a better body. Images on social media can also act as motivation. The efforts towards achieving a better body image have helped many people practice perseverance. The results that come with continuous effort are highly rewarding as well. In addition, people are often ignorant over the fact that self-judgement correlates with self-reflection. Moderate self-criticism has no harm and is even highly beneficial for personal growth. It is only when self-criticism is done continuously at an extreme level where a lack of self-love occurs. These are all beneficial effects of beauty standards, not to mention the positive impacts on the economy. Beauty products and procedures are a substantial business, as can be seen with the Korean beauty market.
Most people have had some experience of being discontent with their body image, including me. With the transition from elementary school to high school, child to teenager, and the growing use of social media, exposure to beauty standards was inevitable. Like others, I have often felt self-conscious of my image. Social media can fill a person with envy of those with seemingly “perfect” appearances. However, not just social media has this effect, but also people in my life. In fact, more so with people around me since the contrast is brighter and much more realistic, constantly lingering around.
Beauty standards can act as motivation but have an unimaginable impact on one’s mental health, self-love, and morale. With the “perfect” body images as a constant comparison, it is hard to be content with our appearances. No matter what, it is necessary to accept reality. It is human nature to like what is aesthetically pleasing to the eye and despises what is not. These standards will be inevitable and we should learn to live with them in a healthy and beneficial way. Thankfully, society is beginning to recognize the toxicity that comes with beauty standards. But at the end of the day, there is no true definition of beauty.
Sources:
Author: Jessica Liu
Biography:
Jessica Liu is currently a grade 10 student at Magee Secondary School in Vancouver, BC. She enjoys listening to music, singing, and dancing.
Contact
Email: jessliu5011@gmail.com
Ins: jess_lkq
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