Throughout history, humankind has always concocted different ways to manufacture beauty. Corsets that cinch your waist to the size of a blade of grass, binding feet to fit into a doll-sized shoe, and more things than most of us can probably name off the top of our heads.
In the past, a lot of the beauty procedures circling the media seemed as though they were mainly for every unbelievably wealthy woman in Miami or LA, but there has been a very drastic increase in how people go about changing their looks to reach “their most attractive self.” One of the most prominent trends that has come up recently (particularly with Gen Z) is something called “Looksmaxxing.” More recently popularized by a streamer named Clavicular, the term tends to focus on what many would refer to as extreme methods for increased beauty, such as hitting your face with a hammer, or at times, taking illicit drugs.
What frequently comes to mind for me is the seemingly ever-changing standard for beauty. The Kardashians going from bbl’s to Ozempic, and the different features that we consider to be beautiful or ugly. The complexity of our internalized ideas of beauty goes far deeper than meets the eye, and although some may find themselves to be unfazed by them, there will always be a subconscious part of us that wants to be beautiful in a way that others can admire – even though that beauty is oftentimes an overreplicated body and face inspired by Eurocentric standards.
I have frequently noticed a back and forth regarding whether or not the new craze for extreme perfection is positive or negative on social media. Some argue that it is important to care about how you look, whereas others argue that such a hyperfocus on looking a certain way can be debilitating to your mental and physical health.
Do you put beauty before health?
Take a moment to really ask yourself…
Why?
