Photo by Louis Hanson on Unsplash
Sharp jawline. High-rise cheekbones. Symmetry. Thin. Muscular. This is but a fraction of the many societal pressures being indoctrinated into the perceptive grasp of our current youth. If I’m being honest, such illogical forecasts fail to account for even a basic, superficial subunit of our current beauty norms. To preface, I’d like to say beforehand that this composition will not undergo many analytical notions; rather, I’d like to come forth instead and speak directly against such objective shortcomings.
If you’re an active participant on any media-based platform (i.e., TikTok, Instagram, etc), you’ll likely, by now, have gained insight into the workings of a practice commonly referred to as ‘looksmaxxing,’ a high-intensity repackaging of what essentially presents itself as ‘self-care. Though I’m not seeing much emphasis being placed on the ‘care’ factor of such, given the innate conformist ideologies being perpetrated to such communities. Otherwise known as the “BP (Black Pill)” community, such demographics have been seen to have recalibrated their perception of the world, basing such notions solely on physical attractiveness (which is obviously extremely problematic). Except, there is no set, objective meter for calibrating one’s innate beauty; such processes are, and forever will remain, subjective. I bet you right now, if any ancient depictions of Aphrodite were to manifest themselves as the goddess herself, she would be deemed ‘mid’ by at least a certain demographic of such (no hate to the goddess, of course). Obviously, standards and norms pertaining to one’s physical appearance have evidently been seen to fluctuate over time, so why have them at all? From chubbier figures to hourglass waists, such fluctuations have evidently taken their toll not just within the parameters of beauty-oriented media but also inherently within the innate constructs of our society itself.
A while back, I heard a take on such rhetoric, attributing the concept of beauty standards themselves to our patriarchally dominated playing field—to be pretty in the face of power is to be acknowledged, of course— such is the dogma perpetrated towards many demographics of female-embodying orients. Thus, sentiments of ‘pretty privilege’ came into play, serving as a significant contribution towards the notion of redefining the alleged ‘place’ of a woman (alongside another subsequent source of patriarchally ingrained belief, one in which I will not be delving into today). At the end of the day, everything can be traced back to patriarchal systems, but I digress. Though important, I find myself moreso lamenting the loss of innocence perpetrated at the behest of such wicked ideologies; the defilement witnessed in the face of developing adolescence.
Though their consequences prove inherently harmful to the mental integrity of many, should such parties be held to blame? Honestly, in my humble opinion, I’d beg to differ. Most contenders in the face of such BP-oriented notions reveal themselves to be terribly misguided teenagers, victims of circumstance and complicity, led to believe that their physical attributes served as the sole defining factor of their worth. However, the concept of accountability remains; despite their portrayed victimhood, they should, at this point, have gained enough insight regarding the matter in which they would be able to take defensive action. Break the cycle. No, the random ten-year-old boy you stumbled across while scrolling on your FYP is not ‘chopped’. No, the random 15-year-old teenage girl you have beef with isn’t and shouldn’t be deemed or even considered a ‘bop.’ Stand against this definitive patriarchal narrative. Stand for the abolition of beauty standards, through and through.
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