[SLOW-MO CHAT] Beauty Standards
Hello everyone!
I think in today's society that we all struggle at some point to conform to the beauty standards we see on social media, magazines, celebrities, etc. and often this is because these standards may be unrealistic. So this GR is all about discussing what are some beauty standards that we hold and how it can negatively impact us.
Come and join us for a chat about beauty standards starting on Monday 24th September with a new question each day!
These are such good questions! We spend so much time and effort forcing ourselves to meet beauty standards and it's so important to figure out why!
2. Why do you think we hold these beauty standards?
I think we're taught to equate our appearances with our sense of self worth, and we try to meet beauty standards (in part) so that people will value us. It sucks, because society has an awful way of punishing people who don't meet these super unrealistic standards. 
1. What are some beauty standards that we hold in our community/wider society?
I think some of the most prominent ones are things like straight teeth, flawless physique etc etc. If you have a pimple - make up needs to be on, if you have don't have the perfect waist - diet. There is so much pressure to be perfect and people don't realize you can't actually be perfect. I think this will always happen, but we can change peoples view (at least a little). That probably made no senseQ
we cant seem to show off our imperfections even if we arent bothered by them ourselves. often society mkes us feel embarrassed by these imperfections like have a stretch mark, or a pimple, or maybe being a little overweight, even down to clothes being 'out-dated'
i also think another beauty standard in our communities are that when out in public we must be presented very well- for guys clean shaved, respectable clothes and shoes etc and for girls- hair, makeup, nice and 'up to date' clothing usually a dress or nice shirt with a skirt. why cant we just walk out the door in our trackeys and baggy shirts sometimes without being judged!
@scared01 i agree with you a lot. everyone is so judgemental and has expectations.
during spring, winter and autumn when im not bothered with clothes i just wear the baggiest clothes ever
@scared01 yeah it’s so true. i don’t understand girls in winter who are wearing very summery clothes when it’s 10 degrees !!
It's actually less unreasonable than it sounds, considering that whenever I head out of the house, I don't typically end up coming home till 8 or 9 at night, at which point things have cooled down enough for my chosen attire to not be completely insane/a heatstroke hazard.
*(Also at this point, I'm not even sure I OWN shorts. I'm sure I have a pair around somewhere, but like...it's probably in that corner of the closet past where the light touches, and we don't go there.)
@Asche wrote:
it's probably in that corner of the closet past where the light touches, and we don't go there.
HAHAHAHA I love this imagery! You need to write a horror story set in your closet 😂
So we've mentioned a few beauty standards that're ever-present in our society... now it's time to think about them a little deeper!
Why do you think we hold these beauty standards?
Why do you think we hold these beauty standards?
Hmm, that's a tricky one. I think society has created the ideal image of what we should conform to and because such a broad group of people follows them we do to. I think some cultures have standards as well. Great Question!
@scared01 @litgym @annabethxchase I totally feel you regarding clothes! 😞 I stopped growing when I was 12 (lol) and so I can still fit into clothes that my parents bought me 10 years ago... I've slowly gotten rid of them and updated my wardrobe, but I don't like discarding stuff (I may have a mild hoarding problem :P)
One way that I like to get around it is by visiting op shops 😄 Often there'll be stuff that's barely been worn and is still fairly current trend-wise. Bonus: it's super cheap which works great for broke uni students like me 😛
unfortunately that’s true 😞 i wish we didn’t have these beauty standards and we could dress/look however we want without feeling pressured @scared01
Hey! Completely agree with you guys! It gets overwhelming with all of the pressure and how people see us.
Totally @scared01! People feel the need to fit in and they go to great lengths for it and don't even end up that happy!
Quotes with me: Why fit in when you were born to stand out?
This is such a great discussion! It's so great to know that there are others that feel the same way about this topic! Ahh so good!
I agree that there's so much pressure to be perfect... there's a lot of research coming out which shows that social media makes people feel worse about themselves. We can hide behind Instagram filters all we want, but that doesn't change what we really look like
What do other people think? 🙂
1. What are some beauty standards that we hold in our community/wider society?
you have to be flawless and skinny. as a girl if you go to night party’s you are expected to wear crop tops and short denim skirts or skinny clothing like tube dresses. but unfortunately most people can’t reach those expectations, no one is perfect.
@lokifish i agree with your point a lot
