Societies standards for beauty are unrealistic and honestly ridiculous. Not only are they changing every year, but they’re being championed by models and athletes who have the help of photoshop and professional photographers.
Through adverts, TV and social media we’re essentially faced with what ‘we should look like’ on a day to day basis which can seriously affect your mental state and create serious body issues. Last decade it was fashionable to have thin eyebrows, highlighted hair and to be stick thin, now the standards are big buts, thighs, small waists, big lips and to essentially look like Kim Kardashian. Which is not only impossible to achieve naturally, but it costs a lot to get the plastic surgery necessary.
When you compare the naughties to now in terms of beauty standards we really can’t win. It changes to drastically, once someone finally is on their way to achieving the look of the year, it has shifted and they need to start all over again.
It’s become a lot worse with the rise of social media and Instagram bloggers who use face tune and other editing apps to achieve their unrealistic look. Sadly because influencers seem more real and approachable, their audience is more likely to believe that they’ve reached their body goals through hard work and whatever detox tea they’re promoting at the time.
It’s easy to tell people to ‘accept their own beauty’ and to ignore the social media lies, but when you see it every single day it’s hard to not compare yourself to other people.
It’s important to understand that the ideal beauty of each time period is just that, it’s an ideal. It’s not real, and it can’t be attained. We need to spend more time teaching young boys and girls that they should create their own standard of beauty and to not chase unrealistic goals.
