Designing Your Own Beauty Standard
In the age where a majority of the population attach great emphasis on physical appearance, many women are inevitably affected by the existing beauty standard. In conjunction with International Women’s Day 2021, TLMUN Herald hopes to take this opportunity to reflect on the theme of IWD 2021, #ChooseToChallenge. With the development of science and technology, women are constantly exposed to subliminal messages and advertisements, which may affect women’s perception on beauty standards.
Moreover, our socialisation process plays a great role in shaping our views on the so-called “beauty standard”. Different cultures hold different social standards of beauty. Whether or not we are aware of it, most aspire to attain the aesthetic that society promotes and empowers.
I don’t know if anyone experienced or seen any of the following occasions:
When you are gathering with your friends and relatives that you haven’t seen for a long time, oftentimes, the first thing they say to you is, “Wow, you seem to have put on some weight.”
Or comments such as “This girl is so pretty!” at someone’s Instagram photo during lunch break with your colleagues.
These situations may be a usual occurrence in our daily life but in fact such comments might have merits and drawbacks on the individuals. Such beauty standards defined by society may lead to an individual to be motivated, and to achieve a better, more ‘desirable’ body shape. Yet, sadly, it often leads to girls who lack confidence to feel anxious because they fail to meet the beauty standard. However, some are likely to feel anxious when they cannot meet society’s beauty standard and think that their appearance does not conform to what is seen as attractive, which may eventually lead to the problem of low self-esteem, or even fall into the pit of diet culture.
As a matter of fact, beauty is a socially constructed word, it is commonly described as a portrayal of an object that makes the object satisfying to perceive. Like all social constructs, its standards constantly change. After all, beauty is subjective. What one may perceive as ethereal could be defined by another person to be ordinary. Thus, it is really difficult for one to strive for and to fit into the standard.
A large proportion of the population is actually affected by unrealistic beauty standards. In the age where butt lifts, lip fillers and filters are common accessories for many women to achieve attractiveness, it is time to challenge the idea of beauty and what it really means to be beautiful. It’s high time to design your own beauty standard and to stop conforming to the conventional ideas of what society thinks is beautiful!
In the 21st century, it is very challenging for us to completely escape and hide from the external influences that shape the way we perceive ourselves and the world. However, as long as we are aware of the negative impact of beauty standards on society, we can definitely take the step to make a change.
“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”
— George Bernard Shaw
Wondering where you can start? Read on to find out. Let’s go!
First and foremost, the ultimate goal of “Designing Your Own Beauty Standard” is all about learning to accept yourself, rather than defining appearance by societal standard.
Nurture positivity
Kill off your negative self- talk with kindness. Your appearance is only the ornaments of your inner self. Sometimes, a bit of self-criticism could serve as a great checkpoint for us to reflect ourselves, but when you are constantly filling your inner self with negative comments like, “Why am I so fat?”, it is truly a self-sabotaging act. Dear beautiful creatures, before setting your own beauty standard, you have to first learn to accept and embrace yourself. Stop standing in front of the mirror, criticizing every little flaw on your appearance. Start looking into your inner self and acknowledge you are unique, and that your beauty can be defined by yourself. What you may not know that you are actually the master of your own mind. In fact, your brain is smart, and as long as you continue to feed it with positive energy, you will gradually become more confident from the inside out.
Go your own way
Listen selectively to the voices around you, stay focused on your own feelings. Even for people who are confident in themselves, there are occasional moments where they too are affected by society’s beauty standards. Sometimes, a little self doubt may creep up here and there, and that’s totally normal.
At that point, you might want to stop and think about whether you’re paying too much attention to the noise around you. It is true that everyone has freedom to express their opinions, but it is also absolutely true that we have the option to sift through the comments given to us. Ultimately, you can’t control others around you, but you can control how you react to what happens. Instead of letting negative comments from other people affect you, simply ignore it.
Social comparison can be a huge stumbling block for us to design our own beauty standard. Keep yourself aware of the effect of social comparison and break it! There is no doubt that no matter where we go in our daily life, we will meet many different people, we often find it difficult to be satisfied with what we own, and often focus on what we lack. Remember, every person is born with their own uniqueness, and there are no two people in the world who look totally alike. Being unique is what makes us special living in the world. Appreciate your strengths and accept your flaws. Not one single person is perfect, even top stars and celebrities have their own doubts.
“You are unique, just like everyone else, time is too short for you to live in someone else’s world.”
Sometimes, social media can be toxic
Perhaps we need to learn how to use technology wisely. Nor should we believe everything we see on the Internet. We need to learn how and when to filter the information we see, or we will be greatly affected by the unrealistic beauty standard on social media. Mindlessly scrolling through social media apps that feeds us posts which subconsciously affects our measurements to the beauty standard. For the sake of our own self-esteem and self-confidence, occasional social media detox should be taken into consideration. Reason for this is that most of us utilize social media to promote ourselves, so do public figures, opinion leaders, models and brands to advertise themselves by projecting an illusion of beauty. It seems to be challenging not to see a multitude of toned abs , fit bodies, thin waist wide hips, and perfectly shaped face. But it actually depends on the users, how we want to control our social media usage, who we want to see on the social media. At the end of the day, the choice is still ours.
Follow your heart, present yourself in the way you are most comfortable with. Your self-worth is not defined by the make-up concealer or a thigh gap. Your connection with your heart is the cornerstone of your wellbeing, not the script that our society constructed. There is no “should” in looking into yourself, it is absolutely up to you. You have the obligation to appreciate your body. It has accompanied you throughout your life and will continue to do so until the day you die.
“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow know what you truly want to become.”
— Steve Jobs
Your beauty is born from your inner self. Step into your own beauty by being genuine to yourself. Focusing on nit-picking your shortcomings would not bring any changes. Spending more energy to look for your strength is much more powerful than looking for flaws. It doesn’t only help to redefine your beauty standard, but also help to benefit the future generation. International Women’s Day is aimed to acknowledge women’s rights and achievement throughout the years. It is also about showcasing positive vibes on the stage and inspiring today’s women!
[Written by: Yi Xin]
