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Beginning of 2021 I noticed how drastically my physical appearance changed. This varied from gaining about 10 kg to mentally being weak and anxious about every single thing. The cause for this was surely the waves of lockdown that unfolded back in 2020. This year I decided to let loose and enjoy life, but little did I know that I was leading myself into a destructive cycle.
Now, I’m not saying intuitive eating and at least doing twice a week exercise is bad. Everyone is entitled to their lifestyle and how they choose to look. But surely what I can agree on is when everything opened and regulations were lifted, everybody was back to judging each other. And my self-esteem went downhill…oomph.
Appearance for me is only a fragment of what we are. It’s not what completes us, but in such a society that pressures you to look a certain way…it can become the first thing you look to enhance.
Current Beauty Standards
Getting BBL’s, plumped lips, Box Braids, and the list goes on. These procedures seem to be taking up a storm, but if you look clearer, the initial inspiration comes from cultures and ethnicities. Thus, everyone wanting to chase a juxtaposition image of another individual for the sake of following trends. For me, it’s unpleasant when deciding random bits of other people’s cultures for just for financial gain, which is the epitome of white privilege.
An example of this phenomenon can be Ariana Grande. Whereas she was called out for black fishing numerous times throughout her projects. She has also whitened her skin for bigger promotional opportunities by appearing pale, blond, and freckled on the covers of Vogue, Elle, and Time magazine.
Of course this is not something new, every decade has their selected aesthetics. The beauty industry has been constantly evolving in the last 100 years. It’s clear that trends go and come back as a form of nostalgic trait.
This nostalgic feeling is a source of motivation to us as a way to remember the past in our own lives and could unite us to that authentic self and remind us of whom we have been and then compare that to how we feel we are in today's society. Even more now, due to COVID-19 and the consequences that have had socially severed us.
So you can believe that this Gen Z parade is not nonsense, scientists and researchers see this as a psychological resource, since it makes us feel safe and loved.
“Nostalgia helps us deal with transitions.” - Erica Hepper
The Future of Beauty
However, isn’t it time to stop this constant chase of perfectionism or FOMO when it comes to beauty standards? It already shows a destructive cycle in girls as young as fourteen years old (HuffPost.2015). All together, keeping up with beauty trends will not stop… but we do see sudden movements of influencers and brands that are encouraging body positivity.
The question is for how long is it really going to last?
Sources:
Global Times. (2021). US pop star Ariana Grande criticized for ‘cultural appropriation’ but many Chinese recognize her ‘pretty Asian make-up.’ https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202112/1241554.shtml
Pittman, T. (2017, December 7). Young Girls Explain Why Beauty Standards Are So Impossible. HuffPost. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/hatch-program-body-image-video_n_7058098
Tierney, J. (2013, July 9). What Is Nostalgia Good For? Quite a Bit, Research Shows. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/09/science/what-is-nostalgia-good-for-quite-a-bit-research-shows.html
Timetoast. (1900, November 20). 50 Years of Cosmetic Trends and Advancements timeline. Timetoast Timelines. https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/the-evolution-of-cosmetics
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