Trends seem to have become a normal part of everyday life for the average consumer and almost an obsession too. Beauty standards have become an never ending stream of what is seen as perfect. History too documents how times have changed in the realm of beauty standards, with women going from curvy, to slim, to curvy again. It’s scary to think that we are potentially creating a generation who are growing up with dysmorphic perceptions of their body. This has led many to suffer with mental health problems related to their body image, including eating disorders, with approximately 1.25 million people in the UK having an eating disorder.
Now the nation has faced it’s third lockdown, people are turning to social media, the centre piece for beauty standards. TikTok, the phenomenon of 2020, has cultivated these ever-changing standards. Now harvesting tutorials on beauty, hair and fashion, we all have seen the craze of trying dressing gown overnight curls and even under-eye dark circles being deemed as sexy and desirable. I remember countless attempts of piling concealing under my eyes to hide my dark circles after the nights of studying long hours with little sleep, which resulted in dark panda eyes. Even though it is great that this is now being accepted, I feel as though that this is an accurate reflection of how beauty standards change.
But why do beauty standards change so rapidly? Because if too many women (and men too) reach this super fiscal beauty then it will no longer be profitable. The beauty industry as we know is a giant. An all too recent example is how women are now expected to shave. In 1915, shaving for women wasn’t really heard of but King Camp Gillette, (a name you’re probably all too familiar with), wanted to make a profit and took advantage of the changing times. Now women are expected to be practically hairless, in order to fit these new standards that are set really for profit rather than actual ‘beauty’.
Even though we now have the body positive movement starting to change people's perceptions of beauty, we really need to ditch these ever-changing standards, in order to free ourselves from an unnecessary struggle with our own beauty.
Edited by Madeleine Gill