As
women, we’d be lying if we said that we didn’t have a contentious relationship
with our bodies. We’d be lying if we said that we have never, not even once,
wished we could change some part of our body; that we haven’t compared
ourselves to one Instagram model or another; that we haven’t starved ourselves
in the name of dieting; over-exercised; or in some extreme cases checked how
much it costs to get liposuction, all in order to look and feel ‘beautiful’
(note the inverted commas). This is inevitable given the one-dimensional nature
of the beauty standards that are generally propagated through popular culture.
We are exposed to a plethora of –what are regarded as- flawless bodies on
films, social media and other forms of popular cultural transmission. Various
solutions to eliminate body dissatisfaction have been suggested, with curating our social media feeds and Netflix
libraries in such a way that we can avoid having to look at these bodies being
one of the most common recommendations. Yet, how realistic is this? How can we
avoid looking at ‘perfect’ bodies altogether, when they have become the norm of
popular culture? Unless we live under a rock, it’s not realistic. Instead, the
narrow definition of beauty must be broadened to include all bodies,
irrespective of their colours shapes and sizes. Women need to be reconditioned
into believing and understanding that skinny is only one type of body that lies
along the spectrum of beauty- they need a total mental makeover. Fortunately,
for every Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid, there is a rebel woman who challenges
these beauty standards. These women have strived to transform beauty culture,
and they truly have. Hence, this International Women’s Month, let’s talk about
two Wonder Women who have redefined the word beautiful.
Celeste Barber
Celeste
Barber is an Australian Instagram personality who snowballed into almost
instant fame early in 2015. Barber has challenged the norms of beauty and body with
one of the best social correction tools at the disposal of human beings:
humour. She hilariously parodies iconic photographs and videos of celebrities
as a means of emphasizing the utter absurdity of trying to conform to the
standards that have been set by them. She tries to capture the ‘realness’ of it
all, she said in one of her interviews. For instance, observe the following
photograph in which she parodies a famous photograph of Kendall Jenner:
The
caption (When you’ve been clean eating for 5 minutes and are sure you can go
down a size) immediately encapsulates the nature of the often futile efforts we
go to to look and feel beautiful- beautiful as per the standards of
mainstream culture. Barber flaunts her body with the same confidence as Kendall
in this photograph. This, although it is hilarious, is also important because
her body does not conform to the skinny norm. Bodies that do not conform to
such standards are not displayed so openly on Instagram or any social media
platform because of our society’s general aversion to ‘fat’ bodies. Hence, this
post sends a powerful message of confidence to women. It encourages them to be
confident in their own skin and not allow society to dictate the terms of their
relationship with their respective bodies.
Megan Jane Crabbe
Megan
Jane Crabbe, also known as @bodyposipanda, is another Instagram personality who
is a strong advocate for the BoPo (Body Positivity) movement. Like Barber, Crabbe also uses her platform to challenge the skinny norm. She strives to
normalize bodies of all colours, shapes and sizes within popular culture by
laying emphasis on the fact that we have been shaped into accepting certain
kinds of bodies and rejecting others based on beauty. Note the response
Crabbe provides to an inquiry in the following photograph:
She
promptly points out how we have been conditioned into believing that the
natural aspects and functions of our bodies are ‘flaws’ that need to be erased.
We are insecure about pimples, birthmarks, scars and other marks on our bodies
because popular culture has exposed us to bodies without them, and in our
efforts to meet those standards, capitalism thrives. How can the stretch marks on a postpartum body be a 'flaw' when that body has nurtured another human being inside it? Crabbe urges us to
appreciate our bodies for all they do for us rather than what they look like. Without
the natural biological functions that they carry out for us daily,
we cannot live. Hence, Crabbe's message adds another dimension to Barber's message because it encourages us to look beyond the physicality of our bodies and into their functionality.
Their message is simple: we are all built differently and that's okay because different is beautiful. It is only when we begin to come to terms with this that we can break free from the shackles that popular culture has us bound in. So love and respect your body- it's the least you can do for all that it does for you each day!
Therushie Botejue
So relatable! I love how you pointed out the fact that unrealistic beauty standards have created a whole market that thrives on selling cosmetics and other products at absurd prices. I'm sure we have all spent money on products that are designed to make you feel like you need to do something to reach the beauty standards promoted via popular culture.
ReplyDelete- Sasha
I enjoyed this post, and would like to add that I believe that the patriarchy also has an effect on women's perception of their bodies. Unfortunately, some women do groom themselves like you said, by removing what is natural on their bodies in an attempt to fit into moulds because they believe that that it what is feminine and would make them attractive to the opposite sex.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I am also seeing a rise in the trend of body positivity with artists like Lizzo in the mainstream media. She has become a celebrated icon of this trend, so perhaps we are making slow progress in the right direction!
-Nipuni
Great post! Yes, mainstream society has quite a cruel way of dictating what women's bodies and beauty should be like. I feel like it's one big trap we as women have fallen into which requires more than simple motivations and pep-talks to set ourselves free. It's a deep-seated psychological affliction that is almost unconscious, yet we see it everywhere -tv, billboards on the road, magazines, and always, inevitably, social media, all the time, advertising this cream or that foundation, this supplement or the other. A woman's appearance is a big industry that uses very finely crafted psychological tricks to find faults when there are no faults, and comparison has become the bane of our society. Self-grooming absolutely fine, as I believe it is a requirement to good health and wellness, but anything to the point of changing the body either through surgery, excessive cosmetics, diets and outrageous so that you are no longer you is a sure sign of psychological instability.
ReplyDeleteNuzla Niyas
Yes I completely agree! And like you rightly said, it's impossible to avoid seeing these unrealistic beauty standards on social media! And it is extremely challenging to NOT feel bad about yourself when you see them. Which is why I follow certain influencers on Instagram to remind myself that this is NOT real. These women deconstruct these so called standards by posting raw pictures of what their bodies look like minus the editing and filters; ones with stretch marks, cellulose and pimples. For me and for hundreds of other women, it gives us a daily reminder that what we see on social media is NOT real, and also to embrace and love ourselves the way we are.
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ReplyDeleteWhat you mentioned about our struggle to conform to beauty standards really resonates with me. I have spent hours and hours searching for tips to get rid of stretch marks, hip dips, flabby arms and double chins 🤣. As I mentioned in one of Nuzla's posts, we don't know that we are consciously trying to fit into those social standards of beauty. We have a mental projection of what we would ideally be without "flaws" and first we would try to be that to satisfy ourselves. However, I believe that these "flaws" are socially unacceptable physical traits that we have internalized and hence we unconsciously try to fit into the ideal. I personally have changed to accept some of the features I used to hate upon realizing and being conscious of the part society played in convincing me that those features are ugly. So i guess, being conscious of those standars is key to cease being self conscious about our physical body. However, I guess we have to respect others decisions and choices and not be judgemental if they want to get a plastic surgery done or lose a bit of weight because it would make that person happy. But there shouldn't be one set ideal by which 'beauty' is measured.
ReplyDelete-Devindani-