By Amaiya Diaz

The phrase “beauty standards” is looked down upon by many people. It raises an obsession over your looks while evaluating others subconsciously. The constant need and want to look suitable for other people is something almost everyone struggles with. We are continuously exposed to how we are “supposed” to look by hearing or seeing it. Beauty standards are everywhere, whether we like them or not. Still, some people might ask: are beauty standards wrong? 

The short answer is yes. Beauty standards suck. Thinking you have to look a certain way can seriously harm somebody’s mental well-being. Even children are affected by how you should or shouldn’t look with their gradual exposure to the media. Anyone could easily be influenced by typical beauty standards, whether you mean to be or not. With weight loss ads on billboards or scrolling through Instagram and seeing models every other post, someone might be taking critical and unhealthy steps to look “better.”  While some people might just use Photoshop to tune up their pictures to post, others may see that and think they are doing something wrong and develop bad habits to try and correct it. 

Many people may accidentally obsess over beauty standards. The need to feel skinnier, curvier, have straight hair, or anything else involving a change of their appearance is a common want from a lot of people. There are severe consequences, and they could include low self-esteem, immoderate dieting, and an increase in depression and anxiety. It could even result in something as serious as developing an eating disorder, a self-harm addiction, or suicide. 

With a rise in social media use, more and more people are vulnerable to exposure to modern beauty standards. Wanting to look like someone you see in a post or a video is becoming more and more normal, bringing new insecurities to anyone. This is a serious problem all across the world, since it plants unrealistic expectations and goals where you’d least expect it.