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Why is the Human Figure Redesigned accordingly to Society?
Learning to appreciate ourselves based on body image is a slow incremental process that we all do have to experience, well at least most of us. The way we look has become so central to our self-esteem that our whole day can crumble if you don’t believe you look right or look as to how societies has dictated. We then attempt to alter ourselves based on mass media in order to harvest preconceived emotions the media has associated with having a healthy body image. Beauty is unfortunately still predominately associated with stick figures. For centuries; magazines, newspapers and every other form of media have profusely paraded skeletal models (ultra-skinny) performing…
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Plastic fantastic? Plastic fantastic? How fashion is leading more women to cosmetic surgery
Over hundreds of years our fashion trends, culture and spending habits have all changed along with the way we view ourselves. With cosmetic surgery on the rise, it has never been easier to have a quick pick me up whenever we feel like it, especially as more beauticians are becoming qualified to take a stab at it. The most common treatments in the UK are micro-blading, Botox and fillers, with 92% of all cosmetic procedures in the UK being for women. But what has driven this change? Contour, rejuvenate and enhance It’s quite overwhelming when looking into cosmetic surgery with so many different choices to “fix those troubled areas”, as…
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The impact makeup may be having on our self-image
Worth over a staggering $500m, the beauty industry is taking the world by storm. With makeup tutorials stacking up billions of views on YouTube every year, it’s no surprise that the industry continues to soar. But is the beauty industry, in particular makeup, changing our concept of beauty? With filtered images of flawless skin and sculptured advertised everywhere we go, it’s understandable why someone without the “perfect” skin and chiselled cheekbones may not feel beautiful. As a young woman who has grown up surrounded by the phenomenon of makeup, I have experienced both the positive and negative. In this article, I will discuss my own journey with makeup and how…
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Fashion and body image: vanity sizing or insanity sizing
In recent years the fashion industry has been slowly inching towards greater inclusivity and representation. Stores are finally providing for those of us blessed with long legs, under 5ft 3″ or graced with curves like Beyoncé. However, we still face the impossible (and what should be simple) task of finding clothing stores with standard sizes. It’s happened to us all. You’re stood in the fitting room with a pair of size 8 jeans, the size that you have depended on all your life. But when you try them on, they’re gaping around the waist. What follows is utter confusion as you begin to wonder how on earth you managed to…
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The level of body image diversity in fashion
Naivety is a prominent mentality in modern society and media when it comes to the impact of body image. As the media bombard the public with advertisements or articles that convey the perfect figure – a body image that the majority of people do not see when they look in the mirror each day. The size discrimination of fashion shows Petite, tall and plus-size are titles of how modern society categorises a person’s physical size. But does the size of a person restrict their opportunities? There is a level of exclusivity and judgement when it comes to evaluating body image. An exclusivity which controversially transfers to the modelling sector. As…
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Underrepresented: diversity in fashion
I never considered myself to be “model material,” and up until my mid-teens, I never questioned that. The people I saw in magazines and in commercials looked nothing like me, and I simply accepted that as the status quo. Nonetheless, as my self-awareness grew, so did my curiosity and I began to wonder why the fashion industry was not promoting diversity and using people who looked like the average person. Wouldn’t they sell more products if people related to the model who was wearing it? Or was the idea that if the model was someone with unattainable characteristics, wearing an attainable product, people would feel compelled to buy it because…
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Fashion & Body Image
Over the years the fashion industry has come under increasing pressure surrounding its expectations of models’ physiques. A number of models have highlighted this topic in the media. Many deem the industry’s expectations regarding body image, to be detrimental to their physical and mental health. Therefore, the industry should be held accountable for this and change has been necessary for a number of years. In light of this, the industry has experienced a clear change in its attitude towards more diverse body types during the past few years. Consequently, there is larger acceptance in the industry towards plus size models, and those that don’t necessarily fit societal norms. As a…
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How Body Image Shapes Our Self-Worth
In March 2019, the Mental Health Foundation together with YouGov asked 4,505 UK adults and 1,118 GB teenagers how they felt about their bodies and the impact that had on their mental health. It was discovered that 68% of the teenagers surveyed felt shame towards their bodies, and over a third of the adults had previously felt anxious or depressed because of their body perception. The main contributor to these alarming statistics is modern-day media. The media platform consistently pushes the idea of a standardised perfect and desirable body and shuns or ridicules those who fail to meet this. The skinny standard While the stick-thin, Kate Moss models of the…
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The Beautiful and The Ordinary: Are We Filtering Out Reality?
Reality, or at least our perception of it, has come under pressure over recent years. To live up to the expectations that our filtered culture has learnt to value is becoming increasingly difficult. What does it mean to be beautiful? Does Photoshop and social media distort our impression of the reality written on our faces? Or was our reality distorted to begin with? The pursuit of perfection: In a recent article by The Guardian, cosmetic doctor Tijion Esho discusses the widespread effects of social media editing and Photoshop. In the piece, Esho looks in particular at our fixation with external appearance. He considers how the journey to the perfect self has…
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A Letter of Kindness To My Younger Self
With my 21st birthday around the corner, I’m looking back on the darkest periods of my life that left my body image in total carnage. I never knew that my own perception of myself would change as drastically as it did. Dear 12-Year-Old Me, Hey, you. You’re in year 8, probably shopping in town with friends. Whilst they were buying cute tops, frilly skirts and leggings to pair with neon ankle warmers – you’re the only one buying socks. Yes, socks. You’re starting to look around at your friends and thinking that you are the fat friend. It sucks. It wasn’t until this moment that you first started to doubt…
