Beauty Standards 101: Their Origins & How Womxn Can Support Each Other

Author Note: This article uses womxn to include all individuals that identify as female

From round eyes, to small noses and hourglass figures, womxn have been compared to societal standards of beauty to quantify their attractiveness. The usage of universal (or society-specific) ideals promotes womxn against womxn comparison instead of assessing the traits and appearance of each individual on their own. These ideals and beauty standards originated over 24,000 years ago from Western and European culture and are still heavily reinforced by media through movies, magazines, and/or online influencers. Nevertheless, these standards can vary amongst countries. While the UK considers prominent cheekbones and collarbones to be ideal, Ghana associates wealth and beauty with weight and curves, thus demonstrating how different cultural and regional standards may contradict each other. The variation in standards also exemplifies how "beauty is in the eye of the beholder," which can reduce the pressure womxn bear to look a certain way. This phrase also introduces the notion that society should leave its eurocentric views and follow ancient Greek societies by recognizing physical beauty as attractive, but negligible without also a good spirit. This view emphasizes the appreciation of one's character and thus, increases one’s confidence by reducing internal feelings of inferiority and abolishing the superficial selectivity that occurs when an individual is assessed based solely on societal beauty standards.

Besides shifting your perspective of beauty, it is also important to highlight ways for womxn to support each other. A few examples would include complimenting, listening to, and connecting with womxn, whether they are family members or strangers passing by. These actions allow for the creation of safe spaces to share and receive validations for your stories and experiences as a womxn, in turn, enhancing your confidence and ability to empathize with others. Developing strong womxn-womxn relationships can also help womxn overcome academic and workplace barriers associated with gender bias by addressing these issues and planning solutions with each other.

Unrealistic beauty expectations are only further exacerbated by the beauty standards implemented in various industries, such as marketing and entertainment. This suggests that there is an “ideal figure" that womxn should strive for. Yet, instead of matching these traits, it is important to embrace yourself and other womxn to truly celebrate the individuality of one another’s physical appearance to create mosaics of beauty that include varying cultures and ethnicities.

Citations:

A timeline of beauty standards: https://www.slice.ca/this-is-where-beauty-standards-actually-come-from/

Factors that influence beauty standards: https://academic.oup.com/asj/article/22/3/267/183446

Ghana’s beauty standards: https://www.uvolunteer.net/blog/ghanaian-beauty-secrets-a-guide/

How beauty standards change across countries: https://www.indy100.com/news/beauty-around-the-world-countries-b1887790

How womxn can support each other: https://brightside.me/inspiration-girls-stuff/9-ways-to-support-other-women-and-why-its-important-794116/

Washington Post’s article on the history of beauty: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/wellness/1987/01/27/beauty-through-history/301f7256-0f6b-403e-abec-f36c0a3ec313/