We Need to Move Away from Beauty Standards — By Renata Aron
We are surrounded by beauty standards. How much we should weigh, what our hair should look like, what body shape is the most attractive, the type of clothes we should be wearing, what hobbies we should have… the list goes on. It is these impossibly high standards of perfection that have led women to become ill, to hate themselves, and to have serious problems with their self-esteem.
But this isn’t a new phenomenon; beauty standards have existed throughout the history of humanity, and they have always had devastating effects. In each era, in each generation, a new beauty standard will take over, something different comes to be seen as beautiful, and the women who don’t fit this new standard end up feeling awful about themselves. These standards change depending on the historical, cultural and social contexts of the era, and, if you ask me, also thanks to capitalism.
In the past, we could blame the media in general for creating and spreading these beauty standards, that is, TV, cinema, magazines, the traditional media styles. These days however, social media has made the perpetuation of beauty standards a much bigger problem. Access to information is a lot easier and a lot quicker, and because of that it becomes far easier for a new beauty standard to manifest itself in society. Not looking like the people we see on social media can leave us feeling frustrated, and that in turn can allow a lot of other emotional problems to develop.
In my opinion, the biggest problem is that these beauty standards are totally unrealistic. There are already studies which demonstrate a huge increase in illnesses such as eating disorders, anxiety, depression and stress.
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In addition to being a major social problem, the ideal of beauty which has been drilled into us over time has created a stereotypical idea of beauty which does not value difference and uniqueness. Of course, we are seeing some small changes in this area in advertising campaigns, which are beginning to showcase a more diverse range of races and bodies. But that is just the beginning.
A lot of women feel as though they are trapped in a prison when it comes to their appearance. The best thing to do is to do a self-knowledge exercise which will help us become aware of our qualities and will allow us to accept them. That is the real concept of beauty.
Every woman is unique, she has her own qualities and fears, and she also has her own sense of courage. There is no rule for what you should deem pretty in yourself. It is feelings, experiences and perceptions that allow us to truly perceive beauty. Therefore, what becomes essential is feeling good in yourself.
Self-knowledge and self-acceptance are the key points for falling in love with the most beautiful person in your life: YOU!
Renata Aron is 2020’s winner of the Fashion category at the Best of Brazil in Europe Awards. She is the founder of Nothing To Wear Image Consultancy and the NTW app, as well as being on the board of AICI Portugal and having created the Impulse Method.
Would you like to share your story or expertise with our readers? Contact our editor-in-chief, Rafael dos Santos, by clicking here.
