Beauty standards are pushing people to look a certain way. That specific way is considered the epitome of beauty; however, this is causing significant problems, including eating disorders, depression especially amongst teenagers. Men and women both must adopt these standards to look "pretty" or “handsome." Looking at these beauty standards, especially in terms of women, paints a devastating picture. The Kardashians could be looked to understand this phenomenon. Everyone has heard their name even if they don't watch their show called "Keeping Up with the Kardashians." They have propagated the idea of a slim-thick body shape that each one of them has adopted. Although, the Kardashians do challenge the Eurocentric standard of beauty (blond, busty, blue-eyed). However, it's important to note that they have replaced those standards with new ones. Their beauty standards are ethically more inclusive, but it's significant to highlight that they remain unattainable, which is problematic. The Kardashians are a big profitable market as Kylie Jenner was ranked as the youngest billionaire by Forbes. She materialized the "kylie lip frenzy" by launching a brand that is still relevant. The children are also exposed to these standards through toys or media products that they engage in. Such as Barbie and Ken and how their figures and characteristics are unattainable, yet they are presented as the desired image to kids. Even filters on Instagram and Snapchat are pursuing a similar standard. These filters dramatically alter one's face by adding thicker lashes, fuller lips, higher cheekbones, and slimmer noses to one's face. These standards are normalized to the extent that they start to seem natural. However, it is important to realize that it is completely one's own choice if they want to engage in surgeries or filters to attain what they want. The problem arises when individuals are forced or bullied to look a certain way to feel beautiful. Recently, Instagram banned the "cosmetic surgery" filters that show people the effect of what they would look like if they had fillers or surgeries. As it was found that these filters were harming people's mental health. However, this makes one question if this would lead to the creation of a space that would promote self-esteem or self-love or is an unnecessary measure taken for the sake of marketing.
Image is taken from:
Pagtakhan, Abryana. “Beauty Standards Create Fear of Exclusion for Young Girls.” Riverside Eddy, 15 June 2021, riversideeddy.ca/beauty-standards-create-fear-of-exclusion-for-young-girls.