Beauty standards have been around for centuries, with different cultures valuing different features, but can they be toxic?
Teenagers, adults, and even elderly people from both genders have struggled with harmful stereotypes made to benefit beauty and cosmetic brands. According to the Mental Health Foundation (founded in 1949 and arguably the UK’s leading charity for mental health) almost one third (31%) of teenagers suffer with their body image as a result of these toxic beauty standards.
These toxic beauty standards exist all over the world making many young people and adults feel ashamed of their body appearance. This is all mostly done to help market cosmetics like ‘lip gloss that plumps your lips’. But how do these products work? In an article made by Dermacare founder Andrea Patel, she says, “the key ingredients are mild irritants that cause blood vessels to expand and therefore blood flow to rush to the surface of the skin,” leading to swelling that creates the plumping affect. Overuse of these lip products results in negative side effects such as cracking, drying or bleeding in the lips. Women often feel pressured to fit into today’s standards including full lips. This is just of the many products that promote damaging consequences.
The worst part about all these beauty standards is that everyone believes it and tries to adjust their appearance to fit these standards. A report made by Dove surveying more than 1,000 girls aged 10-17 revealed that 1 in 2 girls say toxic beauty advice on the internet causes low self-esteem. Another article written by Amelia Hill, a senior reporter at The Guardian with a special interest for ageing issues, tells us with information from a survey, “three out of four children as young as 12 dislike their bodies and are embarrassed by the way they look, increasing to eight in 10 young people aged 18 to 21”.
What is your experience with beauty standards? Are they good or bad? Answer in the comments below.
Alexandra & Eliza Yr8
Boston High School Newsroom