From Ancient Greece to early 2000s heroin chic to the mid to late 2010s BBLs – there hasn’t been a time when women’s bodies and appearance weren’t judged.
Deep dive into beauty standards
All of us have a decent concept of what beauty standards are and have experienced them – especially if you identify as a woman. Beauty standards are a set of characteristics of one’s appearance that the society around us finds beautiful and “fitting”. Beauty standards are heavily reliant on the culture that surrounds them – The United Kingdom has different standards compared to Japan. What’s regarded as “beautiful” in one part of the world, isn’t necessarily looked at the same in another.
But it’s safe to say the rise of social media platforms – especially TikTok – has had a huge impact on beauty standards in every part of the world. So let’s get into it.
The history of beauty standards
Beauty standards have always existed, it’s not some new concept created by the “evil” social media. But what has changed is the medium through which beauty standards are conveyed.
Ancient Greece is one of the earliest examples where evidence of beauty standards is found. We all know about the concept of Greek Gods and Goddesses but did you know Ancient Greece had a term for fitting into an exceptional standard? “Kalos Kagathos” is a phrase used in Ancient Greece to describe an exceptionally beautiful/handsome person with good virtue. Greeks saw beauty as something that made you a good person – “Kalos” meaning beautiful and “Kagathos” meaning virtuous. Plato was the one to challenge this belief and ideal that external beauty was linked to one’s virtue and morals.
Beauty standards continued to exist throughout history in different empires and periods, but what stayed consistent was that aristocrats, noblewomen, rulers, and anyone at the very top of the social hierarchy created these standards that the surrounding society adapted to.
Fast forward to the last few centuries, the amount of beauty standards have skyrocketed – yet another impact of the Industrial Revolution. With print came more access to information and with photography came access to real-life images. Publications such as Harper’s Bazaar and Cosmopolitan launched their first issues in the 19th century, giving the elite access to a new luxury.
Soon came the invention of film and the golden age of Hollywood with the roaring 20s – something that truly brought beauty standards to the limelight. But the same standards that applied in the 20s didn’t apply a few decades later. The speed of new trends accelerated with new ones popping up left and right – each decade having a distinct style of fashion and beauty. Films like “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and “Roman Holiday” with Audrey Hepburn set an example on fashion.
Fast forward to the 80s & 90s with the rise of pop girls such as Madonna and Tina Turner – beauty standards were heavily impacted by the rise of music and music videos. This has probably been my favorite time in fashion and beauty – the rapid changes in fashion, femininity, and beauty inspired my style growing up.
Reality stars, pop girls, billboards, and fashion magazines set the scene for early 2000s beauty standards. The rise of this new pop culture had a huge impact. But what had an even bigger impact was the creation of social media and photo editing – something everyone gained access to.
The rise of social media
Instagram filters, Facetune, the Kardashians…the past decade has brought a lot of new beauty standards. The medium of beauty standards changed entirely. Everyone has access to edited and filtered photos the second they open their phone, slowly warping the perception of beauty. Filters and photo editing are a whole different conversation but an important part of how social media changed the game.
It has become very clear that women’s bodies are seen as trends and social media made this obvious. One second society favors a curvy appearance with a tiny waist, the next everyone’s on their way to lose that curviness. Beauty standards in 2014-2023 and onwards are set by social media and spread to a larger scale in society – something that’s driven by the force of social platforms.
New trends emerge every single day on a global scale. These trends are mainly focused on women’s appearances creating the impact of never feeling good enough for society. We are constantly chasing some new trend and standard to look like, and it’s becoming detrimental to our mental health and individuality.
Social media has had one huge impact: globalization. As mentioned previously, beauty standards are heavily reliant on the culture around them but what happens when social media becomes a global online culture? A large portion of the younger generation feels more connected to this virtual culture and community than their local one – fading the lines between the online world and reality for many. The culture of filters, AI, always striving to look like the next trend has had an impact on today’s youth by increasing mental health struggles, body dysmorphia, comparison culture, and creating a warped view of the world.
Inclusivity and representation – is it here to stay?
Social media has accelerated toxic beauty standards but it has had its benefits. In recent years more and more representation has been shown on social media including different cultures, skin tones, body types, and disabilities. These body positivity movements have especially gained traction on Instagram and TikTok with younger users. The real question is: how long will the representation last before we go back to the old? We’re already seeing this regression in representation when it comes to the inclusivity of different races, especially in the beauty industry. In 2020 every brand rushed to create more inclusive collections and feature more skintones on social media but three years later we are going back to the lack of inclusivity. Inclusivity and representation shouldn’t be trends like “strawberry girl”.
I doubt there will be a day anytime soon when body shaming doesn’t exist and trends aren’t based on someone’s appearance.
Conclusion
Beauty standards have always existed but social media has had a pivotal role in shaping both modern culture and beauty standards. The change has been and will continue to be rapid with a significant impact on people’s perception. It’s important to raise discussion and have a more critical approach to modern standards.
Different body types, skin tones, and abilities have always existed but will their modern representation be just another trend? Beauty is diverse and should be defined by you and not by what you see on social media.
