Why Are Standards of Beauty Relative to the Era?

How many times have you or somebody you know complained about being pale, flat-chested, or not skinny enough? Perhaps the complaints could be about having wide shoulders, flabby arms or too much body hair. Ask any person and I’m sure they could reel off a list of things that they dislike about their appearance, some of which are so niche and unnoticeable you wouldn’t have even thought they’d be insecure about. The sad reality which has existed through time is that our physical insecurities aren’t things we dislike about our appearance per se. The reason we dislike them is because they don’t conform to what is deemed as beautiful in the era.

Now think about it the other way around. Have you recently heard somebody complaining about having a flat stomach, large breasts, a big butt or a thigh gap? Most likely not. The hourglass figure is what we're all apparently supposed to strive for. Nowadays, more and more women are turning to plastic surgery in pursuit of the idolised figure of beauty for the modern woman- AKA the Kim Kardashian look.  

There are many things that are inherently wrong with the way people are turning to plastic surgery as a result of this mindset. First of all, if you read back over the list of complaints at the beginning, it may come as a surprise to find out that there was a time when each of those features were deemed ‘attractive’. In Ancient Greece, the ideal woman was plump, full-bodied and had light skin. By the Italian Renaissance, superior indications of beauty were an apple bosom, rounded stomach, full hips and fair skin. Later in history at the opposite end of the spectrum, the Roaring Twenties featured an androgynous look: flat chest, downplayed waist, short bob hairstyle and boyish figure. Only in the 1990s was the ideal body type waifish, extremely thin and translucent skin- the complete opposite to the hourglass figure. Isn’t it just mind-blowing that throughout history, different women’s bodies have become ‘fashionable’?

So, what about the rest of the population throughout these eras that aren’t just born with the idealised look? Women throughout history have turned to body modifications to achieve what contemporary society has deemed as beautiful. In Victorian England, the corsets arose to cinch women’s waists in to give the perception of the desirable hourglass figure.  In Renaissance Italy, women plucked their hairlines to attain a high forehead. In 18^th-century France, many women wore thick white makeup, often made with poisonous lead and mercury, to get the look of pale skin. I don’t know about you, but all of these things sound futile and painful (particularly the corsets). But doesn’t modern-day plastic surgery entail the same principle? And even if we’re not turning to extremes such as plastic surgery, many of us resort to intense workouts and dieting to get the postmodern hourglass look. If we don’t get the results that we want, we often don’t take into consideration that there are many reasons for why we’re never able to achieve the body shape we’re aiming for. There are many things out of our control including genetic factors, metabolic rate, hormones and stress. This means that even if we alter how much we exercise, for some of us it may not be that simple to lose weight, build up muscle etc. The bottom line here is that there are many factors which influence our body weight and size that just are out of our control.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying dieting and exercise are inherently wrong in themselves. The issue here is that many women are only doing it out of discontent with their current bodies. But why are we so desperate to modify our looks when it’s been proven time and time again that beauty is relative to the era? If at some point in history, each of our body shapes and features was idolised, why are they not still just as beautiful now? If we look at the stark turnaround in the ideal look between the 1990s and 2000s, surely it’s only a matter of time before the ideal body type changes again. And when it inevitably does, are we all expected to change our looks yet again just to fit the model? How much are we going to put our bodies through and be of detriment to ourselves before we learn to love the way we naturally look? It wasn’t all that long ago that women were stood in front of a mirror, asking their friends if their “butts looked too big” and now we seem to be stood in front of mirrors, complaining that our “butts are too flat”. When are we going to love ourselves for being unique and stop disdaining the way we look until we finally achieve the ‘dream body’?  

The reason for why this message is particularly relevant right now is because many people may have noticed some level of weight gain whilst being in lockdown. There’s no reason to feel worried- you’re not alone, it’s happening to all of us. The reasons for why you may have noticed weight gain recently is:

·       You’re not sleeping as well

·       Your body is retaining weight/water due to stress

·       You’re not drinking enough water

·       You’re stress eating 

·       You’re turning to comfort foods

·       You’re sitting more/moving less

·       You’re getting less fresh air and sunshine

I’ve seen so many people doing Chloe Ting ab workouts, feeling guilty about extra weight and being dissatisfied with the lack of results. At the end of the day, we are going through a global pandemic. By all means, keep up the physical exercise but not to the detriment of your mental health. In 10, 20, 30 years’ time, are you really going to be thinking about how your body was never ‘perfect’? There’s a much better chance that you’ll be regretting the time you wasted feeling insecure about your body and condemning the way you looked. I know that it’s difficult, particularly when you’ve got friends and family members who have bodies and looks you can only dream of having. Just remember though that at some point in history, you were considered the ideal and beauty standards are ever changing. It shouldn’t matter that you may not fit what society currently deems as ‘perfect’, so long as you love the way your look and your mental health is always a priority.

All in all, I do think we’ve made a lot of progress in the way women’s bodies are portrayed by society with more and more female empowerment. Nevertheless, I think that particularly right now, we could all do with a little reminder to love our bodies more, look out for our family and focus on our mental health rather than obsessing over a ‘dream body’ and feeling continually dissatisfied. And sremember, you are beautiful regardless of what society’s definition of perfect is. Stay safe, stay healthy and stay off the scales.

Until next time, Khadijah x