Ask Lemmy

Reminder for those that comment that hate and rude comments are against the community's rules

I inherently detest the concept of a "beauty standard". Something so subjective to each individual experience as "beauty" shouldn't have a standard, and a mentality or social culture that tries to establish or reinforce them is something I believe to be highly problematic.

Like in this very post, all the people who are admonishing body modification (injections, implants, piercings, tattoos, etc...). That has been a thing humans have done since ancient times. It is just a form of personal expression, there is nothing inherently wrong with the practice itself. It is the social expectations that makes those things appear uncomfortable at first glance instead of just a different but equally valid form of personal expression. A lot of the comments around them are very judgmental of the assumed reasons behind doing it, though, and it is because of societal "beauty standards" that people behave and think this way.

I don't like big boobs almost ever.

Most of them, but by far makeup.

If someone enjoys it and wants to, I don't judge.

But I seriously never saw a person who looks better with makeup. Even light makeup ( which can look good) still looks worse than just natural.

Also there is this vicious cycle where heavy makeup users have worse skin and more pimples so they feel pressure to but heavier makeup, which in turn worsens the skin condition.

People, be happy, love yourself, you are pretty for who you are.

Mowed lawns. Just let it grow, it's easier and healthier.

This is literal and an innuendo.

Overly full lips. There's a bandwidth there where it should fit the rest of the facial features. Filling them up with collagen just almost never looks good.

I've always disliked plastic surgery, botox and heavy makeup. But that's normal enough

My real hot take is I am disgusted by long, fake nails. They make my skin crawl. They're so cumbersome, I truly don't understand how people love with them

I like how the standard has fractured and there isn't really a standard now, but I do also kind of like the obviously fake bodies being the standard because an insistence on natural beauty is more oppressive than the idea of beauty as something you do, an art or achievement, even a purchase.

If beauty like that is something you choose, I am free to choose it or not. If it's just by luck of birth, that sucks so bad. When I was a gawky tall stick insect of a teenager and the only girls considered pretty were the short and stacked, there was no way to meet that standard.

Later the tide shifted but as I didn't grow up feeling my body could ever be mainstream sexy, I didn't get attached to that - I do have hangups but they are my own. I just try to stay in shape, have good hair, take care of my skin and let the rest be.

But I think my unpopular opinion is beauty as something you do - makeup, style, fitness, is more democratic than insistence on symmetry of features or a particular height or build, the idea of "natural beauty" is worse. Beauty should be a choice, a hobby, a project, do or not.

In terms of what I do not currently understand, it's the moustaches. Young men with weedy little moustaches, straight men with moustaches that scream gay to me, the unopposed highway patrol/1980s gay man moustache I can't wait for that trend to pass.

I don't get why people try to hide freckles. They're so unique!

Tabs over spaces, always

... wait, you're asking in asklemmy, not programming...

Uhhh... that thing where people glue little strands of hair to their forehead in an arc

Lip injections make me think of those wax lips they used to give out for Halloween

Filler and injections.

I can't think of a single beauty standard I do like. Everyone is beautiful in some way. Even the people who are regarded as ugly by the majority.

My favorite people, and probably yours too are not 10/10 hotties. The people I want to spend time with are funny and kind.

Chasing 'beauty standards', I feel, is a waste of your human potential. That time can be better used building friendships and community. Isn't that what most people really want?

If people focused their time there instead, maybe they would feel more accepted, confident and worthy instead of trying to shortcut their way to perceived success by altering their bodies. I find it sad that the digital age has pushed humanity so deeply in to 'comparative society'.

Confidence is the hottest most attractive thing to me in the end.

Not everyone is beautiful. Most people are average and many are not attractive.

Obesity is not beautiful. It is unhealthy and honestly delusional.

Edit: Most people are thinking of this when mentioning obesity.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=real+obese+people+&t=h_&iar=images

Not this.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=heavy+rugby+players&t=fpas&iar=images

Complaining about the BMI scale is a disservice to those who truly need to lose weight for their health.

Ultra low body fat, e.g. high fashion models, bodybuilders. You don't see it that much in real life, but it's pretty heavily promoted in media. Plus the dehydration thing for bodybuilders, I hate that 'saran wrap' look.

Pure white teeth. I prefer ivory shades- not yellow, just the natural ivory. I've had salespeople approach me offering teeth whitening products and it terrifies me.

Not a beauty standard per se, but I don’t like tattoos one bit.

It used to be “rebellious” to have a tattoo, but nowadays it seems like everyone has one - so maybe the truly rebellious thing now is not having them.

"Beauty has to be gendered"

I think you don't need to "look like a man" or "look like a woman" to be pretty

What always disturbs me, and it seems worryingly prevalent on The Apprentice, is drawn-on eyebrows.