What does the perfect body look like? Who has a perfect face and figure? It’s hard to say when beauty and fashion styles became insanely versatile, and everyone’s perception of beauty is different. However, I think the most important question is: Why have we been so conditioned in our society to value beauty as an elite, essential form of social currency, and specifically burden that expectation on women?
The Problems with “The Beauty Standard”
The first problem with the beauty standard for women is that we really don’t have one. Well, not a definitive one, at least. Decades ago, and as it persisted throughout the years, the expectation for women was the stereotypical “model” appearance, associated with thin frames, thigh gaps, flat stomachs, and thin waists. Although many women can be fairly thin and remain healthy, the standard of beauty that was expected of many women in the spotlight, as well as promoted to women in society generally, was a sickly thinness that was rarely achievable unless women starved themselves. In recent years, beauty has been defined as having wide hips, a slim waist, and the curviest figure. Women are expected to be shaped like an hourglass, all while maintaining a thin waist and flat stomach, a reflection of further unrealistic expectations. All this to say, I think the problem lies less in the fact that beauty standards continue to change, and more in the lasting social pressure on women that we constantly need to alter our appearance in order to fit a perceived notion of “perfect.”
By the time the young girls reach womanhood, we can absolutely determine our own ideas about ourselves, our preferences and standards, and what we choose to accept in society. However, that simply cannot retract at least 18 years of classical conditioning that has ingrained complex and often contradictory standards of beauty on the young girls we once were. I think many women, myself included, carry insecurities into adulthood that have lasted for years, often a product of external criticism that has convinced us to be overly judgmental of our own natural features, and left a lingering feeling that we must always be doing something to perfect the way we look.
Societal Influence: Beauty, Fashion, & Media
Fashion, music, magazines, and the rise of social media have evolved significantly over the past few decades, and these media have been prominent in shaping beauty standards. In many cases, it appears men have had the loudest and most powerful opinions about defining certain features in women that are deemed “most desirable,” whether directly or indirectly. Male artists’ lyrics about women in popular songs, film producers’ female casting decisions and prominent tropes, and media/fashion companies’ portrayal of women has not only controlled the way women view themselves, these sources have also reinforced the idea that all men’s opinions about women’s bodies are more important than our own autonomy.
Almost inevitably, our collective ideas about beauty have revolved around the women who have the largest social capital, ranging from celebrities, supermodels, actresses, musical artists, and even social media influencers. Alongside this, there’s a growing narrative that women must be considered beautiful in order to succeed, especially in high-visibility industries. I’ve seen this significantly in movies and television shows, in which it feels like women in the film industry must also be the absolute epitome of beauty to be successful. It creates an added level of unattainability not only in the nature of beauty, but also in the exclusivity of certain jobs and sectors of society simply due to a woman’s appearance.
The Rise of Plastic Surgery
I find it very interesting how the use of plastic surgery has evolved, and more specifically, how the main audience has almost entirely changed. When these procedures originally started to become popular, primary uses were for tummy tucks, breast alterations, and face lifts, which were generally catered towards older women who wanted to look and feel young again. As more celebrities and prominent figures have gotten procedures done, particularly lip fillers, breast enlargements, and BBLs have become extremely widespread. Additionally, the idea of plastic surgeries has been pushed to younger and younger audiences, now where many young girls and teens are idolizing plastic surgery and some are getting procedures done before they even reach 18-years-old.
As we witness these shifts, the most notable to me is an increasing hyper-criticism of our own bodies, down to the very minute details. More specific procedures are becoming common, such as alterations to the hips, arms, thighs, eyelids, chin, and jaw, among others. The gradual normalization of plastic surgery as a societal beauty standard for women is becoming increasingly linked with the narrative of the perfect body. It’s manufactured to reinforce unrealistic expectations in society about what women “should look like” and, of course, is almost entirely focused on women’s bodies.
Redefining “Beauty”
What is “beauty” and who is “beautiful”? I’m not sure there ever will be (or should be) a definitive answer, but I appreciate the longstanding and growing movements to redefine beauty, and more importantly, establish our own ideas about beauty within ourselves. I feel like many multimedia industries, often related to celebrities and public figures, have promoted trends and narratives that overwhelmingly cater to male perceptions of women and women’s bodies. Efforts to open up more conversations about “body acceptance,” and create more public and professional spaces curated by women for the purpose of empowering other women, is incredibly inspiring.
Above all, “beauty” is about appreciating the bodies we’re given, striving to completely love who we are, and leaving the choice of what we do with our bodies entirely up to us.