30 Awful Beauty Standards That Probably Shouldn't Have Existed In The First Place

Bored Panda got in touch with Valerie Monroe, who writes the popular newsletter How Not to F*ck Up Your Face, and she kindly agreed to share her insights regarding this topic.

To begin with, she noted that in her opinion, beauty standards have evolved surprisingly little over time. “What we see in the West is mostly a Eurocentric beauty standard, which, for women, prizes light, clear skin, long hair, light, wide-set eyes, a small nose and chin, and a small, full mouth. Interestingly, it mimics the features of a baby,” she emphasized.

Valerie added that despite some recent changes to incorporate more ethnically varied features and darker skin tones, the previous standards still stand.

Now, speaking about whether it is possible for society to move towards a more inclusive and diverse set of beauty standards, she pointed out that she believes it’s possible to move towards them, but that’s probably not going to happen, at least in the U.S. “The majority of our population no longer reflects Eurocentric standards. (In other words, the population includes fewer white people than people of color.) That time is coming, so we'll see.”

We also asked Valerie if it’s possible to ‘remove’ beauty standards at all, but she noted that it’s not going to happen. “How else will the Big Beauty companies make money? They thrive off our yearning to look a certain way: youthful, sexual, an impossible ideal. There's an enormous capital that goes into supporting our discontent!”

Finally, it’s obvious that due to the advancement of technology, social media and photoshop, more and more people feel pressure to fit these beauty standards. Valerie shared: “I've said it before and I'll say it again: Social media, filters, and photo-editing technology have had a hellish impact on our yearning to conform to unrealistic beauty standards.”

She also highlighted that what we see on social media is fiction presented as fact and even when we're aware that the images are unrealistic and impossible to replicate, their impact is still deleterious to our well-being. “Why? Because they suggest that unrealistic standards are possible, and if we don't or can't conform to them, we've failed.”

So, guys, if you want to hear more from Valerie on this topic, check out her newsletter, How Not to F*ck Up Your Face!

And what do you think about these beauty standards? What, in your opinion, is the most ridiculous? Share your thoughts in the comments below!