Self love and beauty standards
Physical beauty can’t be skin deep.
Beauty, one of the many abstract concepts; abstract in that it is conceived and formed in the mind. So it’s a wonder that monopolized standards upon standards have been set to define this concept. To be considered beautiful, you must possess a myriad of features prescribed by society, face and body wise. Those who do not meet those standards are then body shamed into low self esteem. It is how the cosmetic company thrives, by feeding fat on the esteem of people(women).
The first time I saw the photo of this mursi woman while scrolling through my twitter page, I was astonished. I read about it and saw that the larger the lip plate a woman wears, the higher her bride price and worth. In essence, it connotes beauty. Thats their standard.
Foot binding was a culture practiced by women in some parts of China. One of the concubines of a certain emperor had a feet that was naturally in that form of binding. Her feet was the object of lust and admiration. And before long, women began to wear shoes made for foot binding. Shoes that are far smaller than their leg sizes. They suffered through excruciating pain to attain the standards suddenly set by the concubine in order to please their men and society. It became one of the standards of beauty.
These two isolated practices across the continent rang a single sound in my head; standards of beauty vary from place to place and its ever changing.
More painful is the fact that African American women’s beauty were/are still measured against Eurocentric standards. Having a dark skin is already disqualifying.
In a society that profits from your self doubt, liking yourself is a rebellious act. -Caroline Caldwell
So I came to the same ancient conclusion that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Beauty exists in different forms. And the standards vary from place to place and eyes to eyes. The best thing is to love yourself unapologetically, just the way you look.
Beauty is skin deep is another way of saying: you don’t meet the physical ridiculous standards, let’s look inwards.
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