I honestly don't even know where to begin here. Beauty is something that has dramatically swayed through various times and locations. What is seen as ideal in one year can be the antithesis of perfection in a mere decade. For example, in 2000 having a big butt was embarrassing but with the emergence of celebrities such as Nicki Minaj and Kim Kardashian what was once appalling to society is now the perfect body. Such immense difference in beauty standards is extremely damaging to the average person's self esteem. An ever-changing caricature of unattainable extremities always leaves the typical person feeling devalued. Efforts to fight damaging and dangerous depictions of body image have taken place within the last decade but they have not been entirely successful as of yet. We are still bombarded with detoxes and cleanses promising a fantastical figure. Measures to remove hypermasculine societal standards towards men have faced immense backlash, often as a result of hypermasculinity itself promoting an aversion to sensitivity and emotive openness. On the other hand, campaigns against misogynistic social standards have become more successful; often due to support from third-wave feminists. I think more needs to be done both for males and females in terms of expanding society's vision of beauty. Blemishes such as birthmarks, scars, freckles, and pimples should have less societal stigma because they are natural and nothing to be ashamed of. Furthermore, beauty needs to be more inclusive of people from marginalized communities with visible differences such as people of colour, trans people, disabled people and plus size individuals. By defining beauty with rigid barriers, society makes millions of people, specifically minorities, feel undesirable because of factors in which they have little to no control.
