KEEPING UP WITH MILLENNIAL BEAUTY STANDARDS

 Young folks who do not take extensive interest in the lives of feminine and masculine beauties, their skincare routine, what they eat in a day and their workout regimen might be taken by shock if I were to suggest that paradox rules in the virtual beauty world we currently live in. This argument emanates from my rather late discovery of a family that has had a long-running show to their name and has been claimed to set unbreakable records in the glam world.

Well, to hit the nail on the head, what caught my attention was an old, more so unnoticed, and most importantly uncontroversial interview of one family member who made a remarkable statement that she hates people who hate themselves and that people should be taught to love themself the way they are. I mentally appreciated her for the grandiose statement she had just made and proceeded to search the web to know more about the respected lady. The images in the search results took me by surprise. She, who had sent out a message for self-love, was apparently an individual who spent millions of dollars to change her facial and body features.  

More than a year into the pandemic, quarantine, and online classes, the famous show became a guilty YouTube pleasure to me like the many others. At a point where I seemed to know enough about them, I realized the stark contradiction between what they promote through their beauty and clothing lines and the rhetoric statements of self-love and acceptance they make in various forums including but not limited to social media platforms.

This is one of the umpteen examples of people who are an absolute misfit to the widely preached yet seldom practiced quote (practice what you preach). What such people deserve is not brutal trolling on social media where attacks are made on their personal life, family, and relationships. It has to start from the grass root where people are appreciated for their inner beauty beyond the exterior.

Chiseled jawline, contoured cheeks, firm curves, and chicken legs; millennial beauty standards are as hard to achieve as they sound. 

If we are true to our motive of a world of inclusivity, we have to actively oppose racial slur, body shaming, etc in advertisements, cinema, and casual conversations as opposed to viewing them as typical fluff inherent to serve the cause of entertainment.  Society has to consciously interdict what might seem as benign yet profound displays of actions that might potentially relegate a bunch of masses that do not satisfy the set beauty standards. Only then will terms like self-love and inner beauty hold meaning for generations to come.