It Is Time for Each Woman to Ditch Beauty Standards
The magazine racks in the supermarket and the stars on television continue to depict outdated beauty standards. Photoshopped models, clothing catalog ads, and almost every other commercial that talks about beauty shows what society expects women to be: creatures with perfect skin, perfect proportions, and perfect teeth.
Despite the fact that comes in many shapes, sizes, and colors, we are buffeted with a single image. These beauty standards need to be thrown away forever. Ditched like a pair of old underwear. I am serious. Perfection, or society’s view of perfection, is underrated.
Women should smell like roses
Society tells us that women have to smile all the time, to manicure their nails, to shave their underarms and bikini lines, and to smell like roses all the time. Women are supposed to have certain proportions, silky smooth hair, and sparkling teeth. Depending on your race, the beauty standards get even more strict and sexualized, like a thicker bottom or an untanned complexion.
Cover it up
We are told to cover our flaws with the same tone that tells us muffin tops are unattractive. We are asked to wear bras because letting the ladies breathe is too distracting or sexual. Sometimes even our collarbones come under fire. “Cover those up,” society says. “You are being too sexual.”
Have you ever been told wear high heels because you are female? Or been forced into a skirt? Asked to do up one more button because of the view? Sometimes these standards get out of hand.
If a girl has a bit of jiggle in the middle, she is not supposed to wear crop tops. If a guy catches a bra strap out of the corner of his eye, he is allowed to caution us of our supposed wardrobe malfunction.
If our leggings are not cut right, we have to worry about a visible panty line or camel toe. Who gave it that atrocious name anyway? Do men get cautioned when their junk is perceptible through their pants? No.
Read also – 5 Things to Consider When Getting a Freckle Tattoo
Following unhealthy behaviors
Society has a weird way of driving us towards unhealthy behaviors, like restricting what we eat to not gain weight or transforming ourselves into something we are not comfortable with.
Society forces us out of what we are comfortable with and asks for full makeup, filters, and attractive angles for us to even get a glimpse on dating apps. But if women decide to dress in a way that they feel beautiful, then they risk attracting something even worse and completely unwanted.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
This is why beauty standards need to be ditched as soon as possible. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If a woman wants to dress androgynously, she should not be made fun of for covering her body.
Should a woman want to stuff her face with burgers and pizza then belch after chugging a beer, she should not be seen as slovenly. A shaved head can be as beautiful as luscious locks. No makeup can be as daring as sparkling eyeshadow. Uneven teeth can be as charming as a row of identical ones. Scars tell a story, and birthmarks should not have to be removed.
Read also – 7 Makeup Hacks That Will Save Your Prom
That is why I say that women should start deciding for themselves what is beautiful. Not everyone will agree with your personal idea of beauty, but that is totally okay. You do not have to be a size 4 with long hair and straight teeth.
You do not have to be anything you do not want to be. When you are confident in your own skin, you are the essence of beauty, breaking through the standards to start a revolution.
