By Jasmine Diglio
When I was younger, I saw models, singers, and actresses, and aspired to look, act, and be just like them. They had everything – the height, the “ideal” beauty, the right shape, and more. However, I realized that I would never look like them and that made me sad.
“Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself” according to fashion icon Coco Chanel. If that is true, then why are women and men constantly beating themselves down to meet society’s expectations of beauty?
In the 90’s and early 2000’s, to be beautiful was to be the blonde, petite, and skinny similar to the girls on the covers of magazines. It was rare to see diversity in the media which set this standard for what women should look like and what men should look for. In Nicole Spector’s article, “What Makes Someone ‘Most Beautiful’ is changing”, she investigates the differences between People Magazine’s issue of “The World’s Most Beautiful People” in 1990 and compares it to the 2017 issue.
Her findings were remarkable and showed how much the “definition of beauty” has progressed throughout the years. In the 1990’s, 76 percent of the people featured were white whereas in 2017 the number decreased to 60 percent. In addition to that, the amount of women and men between the ages of 45-54 on the list was 4 percent which now in 2017 increased to 19.3 percent.
To Spector and her coauthor, the results came as a surprise given that they didn’t think that beauty standards would have much of a difference but their findings prove that assumption wrong. It was evident that people of color, different ethnicities, and older ages didn’t have as much representation as the common pretty girl or boy on the magazines had. This lack of representation led people like me to believe that if they weren’t the picture perfect human being then they weren’t seen as beautiful.
However, it is the complete opposite. Spector introduced the exposure effect, “the more we are exposed to something, the more attracted to it we may become.” In the 90’s and early 2000’s, society was not exposed to different kinds of beauty and its definition was extremely limited. However, fast forwarding to now, with the advancement in technology and social media platforms, we are exposed to more diversity leading to the acceptance of all colors, shapes, and sizes. It is clear that what used to be is progressively changing and it is most definitely for the better.
Today technology and social media have become prominent influencers to the human eye. In many ways, social media has portrayed negative effects but there has been a greater positive that has come out of it. As social media is growing, so is the spread of diversity and culture. Not to mention that social media platforms have aided in the process of redefining beauty. In Meghan Willet’s article, “How Designers in 18 Different Countries Photoshopped this Model after Being Told to Make Her Beautiful,”, she talks about a “copycat” project done by UK Online Doctor who sent in a photo of a woman’s body to multiple photoshop agencies in different countries. This project, being similar to Esther Honig’s project where she sent a picture of her face and told agencies to make her beautiful, had an interesting outcome.
Each country photoshopped the women’s body to fit their countries perception of beauty. It was a real eye opening idea since it brought upon the thought that beauty is not one single look and it is different everywhere. Thanks to the media, this social experiment was displayed on YouTube along with other news resources and allowed for others to see the difference in cultures and beauties all around the world. The media has also brought diversity to social media platforms including Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter.
With that being said, throughout these apps, women have been empowering each other to be different and step out of their social comfort zones. In Brigit Katz’ article “New Study Shows Impact of Social Media on Beauty Standards”, she goes deeper into the idea that social media is changing societies perspectives on what beauty truly is. She analyzes a study done by Dove to assess how social media is impacting our world and notices that rather than looking at fashion magazines and idolizing the picture perfect human, we are actually idolizing each other and the things we see scrolling through social media.
Social media influencers are embracing their imperfections and showing them to the world. People like Winnie Harlow who suffers from Vitiligo posts numerous images of herself on Social Media empowering other women to be who they are and not let society tear you down. Social Media platforms have progressively changed the idea of beauty. The more accepting the media is, the more accepting society is. If we stand together and embrace who we are, there’s no telling how much these “standards” can change.
It is often said that it is up to the youth generations to make a difference in this world. The youth has been apart of so many movements and is continuing as time passes on. With that being said, it is up to societies younger generations to redefine what beauty is. We can continue to abide by social standards that deem whether someone is “pretty” enough or we can decide to stand up against the norms and create our own definitions of beauty. It is up to the youth to decide and from the looks of it, we as a generation are choosing to stand up for what we believe in.
Students from Branford High School spoke up about what beauty means to them and what it takes to make a change. Issy Mannle, ’20, stated that, “Beauty means that you believe that you’re beautiful without anyone else telling you otherwise”. This statement emphasizes that once you as a person realizes you are beautiful, there is nothing stopping you.
Michelle Serna is a prime example of the youth generation defying beauty standards. The 17-year-old Serna’s gave a Ted Talk titled, “A Bold Message About Beauty“, that sends a message to young women that we must “live life blind.” She talks about her experience as a teenage girl participating in a Rodeo Beauty Pageant and how many people tore her down in the process but she turned insults and criticism into ambition towards making a change.
Her advice to live life blind emphasizes the idea that we should not define people by how they look but how they act or make you feel because with that, you have the ability to “let the world and all it’s people in it give you something great.” It is more than possible for one person to make a difference, but imagine if a whole society of young adults worked to make a difference. Serna is just one example of how a young girl can change the definition of something so broad.
As I continue to grow up, I don’t get sad anymore when I see someone who has a nicer figure or a better outfit but instead I embrace who I am and the beauty that I, as one single person, have brought into this world. The youth generation including myself has the power and ability to live life blind and embrace every single type of beautiful that there is in the world which can then lead to even bigger things like defying society’s beauty standards on women and men.
Coco Chanel also once said, “Don’t be like the rest of them darling”. I suggest we continue listening to her. Being beautiful is not about abiding by everyone’s expectations but to be your own kind of beautiful. There is no reason why we as a society can’t redefine beauty as a whole in order to assure that everyone is accepted for being themselves and not what someone told them to be.
With progressive representation of different types of beauty, social media embracing imperfections and insecurities, and the youth defying beauty standards, there is no telling what we as people can do.
