30 Awful Beauty Standards That Probably Shouldn’t Have Existed In The First Place
Interview With Expert
Hearing the words ‘beauty standards’, we can already assume that it will be something totally unnatural and not great for health both physically and mentally. As years go by, they change (at least a little bit), and most cultures have their own, but probably most of us can agree that when we hear beauty standards, we imagine that to fit in, we must be slim with pouty lips and pointy noses.
Well, one Reddit user recently started a thread asking people online to share the dumbest beauty standards that they have heard of. I think it’s safe to say that most of them are actually insane. So scroll through them and share your thoughts!
More info: Reddit
This post may include affiliate links.
The huge, ridiculous swollen lips--good gawd it looks silly.
Huge [butts]. So many women look like bumble bees now.
Booty implants are the dumbest things. They look ridiculous. Like I can't even look at Nicki Minaj without laughing
Bored Panda got in touch with Valerie Monroe, who writes the popular newsletter How Not to F*ck Up Your Face, and she kindly agreed to share her insights regarding this topic.
To begin with, she noted that in her opinion, beauty standards have evolved surprisingly little over time. “What we see in the West is mostly a Eurocentric beauty standard, which, for women, prizes light, clear skin, long hair, light, wide-set eyes, a small nose and chin, and a small, full mouth. Interestingly, it mimics the features of a baby,” she emphasized.
Valerie added that despite some recent changes to incorporate more ethnically varied features and darker skin tones, the previous standards still stand.
Men who say body hair is unhygienic... and don't shave their own pits.
White people want to be tanned, people with high skin pigmentation want to be pale. It's completely idiotic how we each want what the others have.
What I find idiotic is when we argue that the other is appropriating their culture.
Thigh gaps. No offence to anyone who has one naturally but it's just odd to me that this was a literally beauty standard for a good half a decade when, unlike a lot of other beauty standards that can be achieved either through weight-loss/gain, cosmetic surgery or makeup, this one relied purely on genetics.
Glad this one is mentioned. Always found it a stupid beauty standard for the very reason that it completely has to do with bone structure.
Now, speaking about whether it is possible for society to move towards a more inclusive and diverse set of beauty standards, she pointed out that she believes it’s possible to move towards them, but that’s probably not going to happen, at least in the U.S. “The majority of our population no longer reflects Eurocentric standards. (In other words, the population includes fewer white people than people of color.) That time is coming, so we'll see.”
We also asked Valerie if it’s possible to ‘remove’ beauty standards at all, but she noted that it’s not going to happen. “How else will the Big Beauty companies make money? They thrive off our yearning to look a certain way: youthful, sexual, an impossible ideal. There's an enormous capital that goes into supporting our discontent!”
That having a disability means you can't be beautiful
Yeah, eww, your legs don't work! You're so ugly! Never mind your beautiful face and body, but non-functioning legs are soöoo icky. (/s)
Freckle tattoos. Natural freckles can be gorgeous, but it is so ridiculous to see young women actually getting some tattooed on, eithet with henna or permanent ink. Yes, it is noticeable that they're fake.
That you shouldn't have long hair if you are 40+ years old.
Finally, it’s obvious that due to the advancement of technology, social media and photoshop, more and more people feel pressure to fit these beauty standards. Valerie shared: “I've said it before and I'll say it again: Social media, filters, and photo-editing technology have had a hellish impact on our yearning to conform to unrealistic beauty standards.”
She also highlighted that what we see on social media is fiction presented as fact and even when we're aware that the images are unrealistic and impossible to replicate, their impact is still deleterious to our well-being. “Why? Because they suggest that unrealistic standards are possible, and if we don't or can't conform to them, we've failed.”
“Boys don’t make passes at girls who wear glasses”
Every man I’ve dated has LOST THEIR MIND whenever I take out my contacts and put on my glasses
no SMILE LINES??? back in the day we were told we were prettier if we smiled and now its UGLY???
That apparently none of us should have pores at all, god forbid a blemish.
Being unattractive is somewhat liberating. I don't have to freak out over every single imperfection on my face since it's not gonna make things much worse anyway.
So, guys, if you want to hear more from Valerie on this topic, check out her newsletter, How Not to F*ck Up Your Face!
And what do you think about these beauty standards? What, in your opinion, is the most ridiculous? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
The hourglass figure. How are you meant to have a small waist/flat stomach but still be fuller of both sides of that waist unless it's genetic? For most women, this is unachievable!
I agree with this one. I think so many women who are overly concerned about their weight are often really more concerned about their SHAPE. And they try to lose weight, but that doesn't and can't solve the "problem", so they are never happy. When was the last time you saw a woman who was portrayed as attractive in a show who had even the slightest bit of stomach, or had a bit of fold when they sat down? Last time I saw that was in a 1960s beach party movie.
Well soo I know for some situations its a godsend that this is available.. but generally it currently fashionable and considered beautiful, to get veneers, on healthy teeth.
The process of shaving down natural healthy teeth to glue prettier teeth on, is strange.
Like I have one, my tooth broke, they cut it down and fitted it with a veneer. It was to fix a problem. But now cause that happen i know the new tooth is not as strong, they break they fall off, they are weaker. And the real tooth underneath has been compromised, its nerve is not as protected, it can’t handle temp as well, it is less strong.
To do this to every tooth.. when they look five anyway, just so they look perfect.. it’s shocking. Its also So painful to do it. And if you don’t have a real artist doing it they could mess up and make it look like you are wearing dentures! And really you are Not not!
Skin bleaching. It's dumb and it's scary. I know that in some cultures having lighter or fairer skin is deemed "attractive" and some girls and women will shun the sun as much as possible, but smearing on chemicals to bleach your skin's natural colour? Not cool, especially since a friend of mine showed me videos of the after-effects of skin lightening "treatments" that left some pretty nasty side-effects.
Women need long hair to be considered feminine.
Blows my mind when women make a big deal about cutting their hair "short" and its shoulder length (which isn't short)
I've had every length between waist-length and crew cut, it's amazing when you change your hair and people you barely know go crazy about it. Or one guy said, "your husband must be sad that you wear your hair so short" (it's currently in an angled bob). Haha, old man, jokes on you, my husband thinks I'm hot no matter how I wear my hair- because I am.
There once was a post on here about how women who don't paint their toenails are ugly... Like lmao what?
As a POC I used to think having blonde hair and blue eyes would make me beautiful.
I love my dark hair and brown eyes now, but I had a rough time for a moment in puberty.
Yeah, when I was a kid, everyone was obsessed with blond hair. As a brunette, I never understood the fad. All eye and hair types and colors are beautiful.
Fake tans
The fact that people make an effort to change the color of their skin is sad to me. And I'm tired of people telling me I need a tan because I'm too pale. This is the skin I was born with. If it displeases them, too frickin bad.
Height being any indication of beauty or desire. It makes no difference to the average person in life.
Leblouh - involves a girl of five, seven or nine being obliged to eat excessively to achieve female roundness and corpulence, so that she can be married off as young as possible. Girls from rural families are taken for leblouh at special "fattening farms" where older women, or the children's aunts or grandmothers, will administer pounded millet, camel's milk and water in quantities that make them ill.
The Mayan concept of beauty was wild. Long sloping foreheads, crossed eyes, pointed teeth and hooked noses. These features were achieved artificially starting in infancy.
Getting filler in your knees so they don’t look like they have faces in them… it’s a race to the bottom when it comes to cosmetic procedures
For a while on tiktok, they were promoting products to cure "strawberry legs". It's literally just having pores on your legs. So dumb.
Hip dips (the obsession to not have them).
I don't even know what it is. If we shouldn't be concerned about it, let's not give it a name.
I have stupidly small hips compared to the rest of me so my my legs go in at the hips then out again - hip dips - rather than it being a smooth curve from waist to thigh. I used to care greatly.
Load More Replies...
Oooh I hate this one. Hip dips are because of how our muscles connect to our bones. You will see hip dips on female body builders because of that.
Largely determined by underlying bone structure. Consequently, it is usually paired with a flat and wide rear, also caused by that same bone structure. you can keep building butt muscle, but most muscle will be towards the bottom and the top will kind of just meld with your back in a super fun flat n wide. Half my family inherited the family bubble butt, the rest of us poor sods got the hip dips with the flat n wide.
I believe you that thats your shape, and its totally fine, but where have you learned that this comes with a flat and wide butt? Hip dips are caused by how your pelvis bone interacts with your thighs. I dont find any evidence of your theory anywhere (and my hip dips and round butt are anecdotal arguments against it).
Load More Replies...
i have hip dips. never rlly concerned me. i dont think theres a way to remove them anyways
You can fill them with sculptura. I thought I hated mine but I put pads on one day to see how they’d look filled in and it looked stupid and unsexy.
Load More Replies...
Oh man, I can't keep up. So yes to hourglass and also hip dips 🤦🏼♀️ literally can't have both at the same time
There are some exercises that help to fill in these “hip dips”. Don';t know yet if they’ll really work.
Go to the Jersey Shore in summer. Tons of Russian & Eastern European women there. Gorgeous. But they have no hips. A man can place his hand on a tush & have his thumb & pinkie touch their hips. Somehow women like this can still bear children without issues.
Muffin top isn’t related to hip dip and most pants don’t go in the dip
Load More Replies...
That large-chested women shouldn't wear sweaters because it gives them "monoboob"
Canthal tilt
I had no idea what this is, so: “ A canthal tilt, also known as the fox-eyed look, describes the angle between your inner eye and your outer eye. A positive canthal tint is when the outer corner of the eye is five to eight degrees higher than the inside corner.”
Poll Question
Thanks! Check out the results:
Subscribe to Access
Exclusive Polls
By entering your email and clicking Subscribe, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Privacy Policy.
Thank you! You've successfully subscribed to newsletters!
I am deeply saddened that gen*tal mut*lation is not mentioned here. Surely one of the most heinous crimes visited upon children.
Maybe because its not a beauty thing, its to limit sexual pleasure as an expression of misogyny.
Load More Replies...
Noone, who tells you your look is not ok, should get your energy. They either make money of it or they want some kind of trophywife to raise their own selfesteem. Just love who you are and wear what you like and appreciate your body doing hard work daily to stay healthy and alive
I'm glad that *most* of these are about actual harmful/wildly unrealistic standards and not just bashing trends that just may not be for the person complaining about them.
I'm a redhead with green eyes, and skin so pale you can almost see through it. For YEARS I tried to tan. I quit trying after getting sunstroke and being hospitalized. Now, if I get comments I just say "why is it important to you that I be tan?" Or I tell them, if it upsets you so much, why are you looking at me? Schmucks.
Number one: extremely narrow, almost ridge-like noses. Coming up in second: Overly "perfect" teeth. That's a second place because no-one looks bad per se with overly perfect teeth, but when you see a TV show or movie and every last person has EXACTLY the same teeth, it's enough to make British actresses look hot just because they DON'T have overly perfect teeth (although that trend is overtaking Britain.) I remember when "Jar of Hearts" came out and I was trying to think what made Christina Perri look so appealingly real, and I realized it was (partly) that she had "bad" teeth!!! (Alas, the space aliens got her, too.)
A few years ago I started to notice mentions of how "difficult" it was to do make-up on hooded eyes, and how it was so much better not to have them. First of all, racist. Secondly, believe it or not, the only value of my eyes is not how much of my eyeshadow you can see.
I always had hooded eyes, my eyelids are invisible unless I close them. The only problem I have with that, except my mascara gets smudged very often (but that's not serious) is that my eyes, especially the left one, with aging are getting more and more covered by excess skin over them. That's not beauty issue, that's more like future vision impairment. I have eyes like Charlotte Rampling.
Load More Replies...
I'd like to add 5 more. (1) Overlined lips. You look like a toddler who got into mommy's makeup. (2) Ridiculously long and thick eyelashes (unless you're a drag queen). (3) Cripplingly long fingernails. You can't possibly wipe properly without eviscerating yourself. (4) Thick, thick foundation/contour/concealer (again, unless you're a drag queen). (5) Dark contour on the tip of the nose, topped with a dot of reflective highlight. It looks like you dipped your nose in s**t, then in coke.
Can’t believe that ‘cellulitis’ isn’t mentioned - something that is a completely normal skin variation (babies have it!) got demonised and so many products promising getting rid of it are still on the market… blows my mind!
I think you mean cellulite. Cellulitis is a common and potentially serious bacterial skin infection. I should know: I've dealt with it, during chemo. The bacteria enters the skin, and left untreated, can be life-threatening.
Load More Replies... I am deeply saddened that gen*tal mut*lation is not mentioned here. Surely one of the most heinous crimes visited upon children.
Maybe because its not a beauty thing, its to limit sexual pleasure as an expression of misogyny.
Load More Replies... Noone, who tells you your look is not ok, should get your energy. They either make money of it or they want some kind of trophywife to raise their own selfesteem. Just love who you are and wear what you like and appreciate your body doing hard work daily to stay healthy and alive
I'm glad that *most* of these are about actual harmful/wildly unrealistic standards and not just bashing trends that just may not be for the person complaining about them.
I'm a redhead with green eyes, and skin so pale you can almost see through it. For YEARS I tried to tan. I quit trying after getting sunstroke and being hospitalized. Now, if I get comments I just say "why is it important to you that I be tan?" Or I tell them, if it upsets you so much, why are you looking at me? Schmucks.
Number one: extremely narrow, almost ridge-like noses. Coming up in second: Overly "perfect" teeth. That's a second place because no-one looks bad per se with overly perfect teeth, but when you see a TV show or movie and every last person has EXACTLY the same teeth, it's enough to make British actresses look hot just because they DON'T have overly perfect teeth (although that trend is overtaking Britain.) I remember when "Jar of Hearts" came out and I was trying to think what made Christina Perri look so appealingly real, and I realized it was (partly) that she had "bad" teeth!!! (Alas, the space aliens got her, too.)
A few years ago I started to notice mentions of how "difficult" it was to do make-up on hooded eyes, and how it was so much better not to have them. First of all, racist. Secondly, believe it or not, the only value of my eyes is not how much of my eyeshadow you can see.
I always had hooded eyes, my eyelids are invisible unless I close them. The only problem I have with that, except my mascara gets smudged very often (but that's not serious) is that my eyes, especially the left one, with aging are getting more and more covered by excess skin over them. That's not beauty issue, that's more like future vision impairment. I have eyes like Charlotte Rampling.
Load More Replies... I'd like to add 5 more. (1) Overlined lips. You look like a toddler who got into mommy's makeup. (2) Ridiculously long and thick eyelashes (unless you're a drag queen). (3) Cripplingly long fingernails. You can't possibly wipe properly without eviscerating yourself. (4) Thick, thick foundation/contour/concealer (again, unless you're a drag queen). (5) Dark contour on the tip of the nose, topped with a dot of reflective highlight. It looks like you dipped your nose in s**t, then in coke.
Can’t believe that ‘cellulitis’ isn’t mentioned - something that is a completely normal skin variation (babies have it!) got demonised and so many products promising getting rid of it are still on the market… blows my mind!
I think you mean cellulite. Cellulitis is a common and potentially serious bacterial skin infection. I should know: I've dealt with it, during chemo. The bacteria enters the skin, and left untreated, can be life-threatening.
Load More Replies...
