What Makeup Can’t Hide: America’s Toxic Beauty Standards

Take a second to imagine, it’s a week before prom, and I can assure you that a large majority of girls are going to get a spray tan so they can have that sun-kissed glow for their amazing night about town. But why is this a part of their preparation for prom? It’s important to realize the extent we go to in order to conform to society’s toxic beauty standards. 

Lighter-skinned women often turn to tanning in order to get a more sun-kissed appearance. Maybe they feel as if they are too pale or simply wish that they had more color to their skin. Whatever the reason, they expose themselves to toxic chemicals in order to try and achieve this “perfect body” type or gain happiness in themselves. They choose to ignore the risks of skin cancer that they are exposing their bodies to in order to fit what society deems as beautiful.

I believe It is time that we stop searching for happiness from the exterior and start to focus on what is on the inside. We will continue to search and waste away money to achieve happiness, yet the more we do this, the farther and farther away we are from actually achieving it. I feel as though people choose to use fake tans because it is trending in society, and we have been highly influenced by celebrities and models. We always seem to want the opposite of what we have, whether it be skin type or other factors. While lighter-skinned women wish to get a darker complexion the opposite is true for darker-skinned women.

One beauty standard that African American women face is that people with a lighter skin tone are more accepted in society than those of a darker skin tone. For example, within the media, there have been countless examples of editors photoshopping black women and making their profile have a lighter skin tone. This portrays the message that in order to be on the cover of a magazine, you must fit a certain skin type.  

This can have lasting effects on the celebrities that suffer from these epidemics. How do you expect they feel when all that is presumably told to them is that they are only beautiful with this lightened skin tone? Here, Jameela Jamil tells how she feels about being whitewashed in the media. It is way past the time when we should start focusing on the beauty of every individual rather than fixing every part about them. Women should be able to feel comfortable in their own skin and it is sickening that these editors photoshop darker-skinned women in an effort to conform to society’s outdated beauty standards.

The effects of these beauty standards are detrimental to our self-worth. Chika Okoro’s Colorism TedTalk was really eye-opening for me. She talks about colorism which is a form of discrimination based on your skin tone. She discusses how African American women who are darker-skinned even face rejection in their own community, and are constantly told they would be more beautiful if they had lighter skin. 

One part of the TedTalk that was extremely sad was she showed a clip of a child who was a darker-skinned girl, and as she was asked the question who the dumb and ugly child was, she pointed to the darkest toned girl in the photos (there were pictures of different women ranging from light to dark skin). Being exposed to these toxic standards at such a young age can have a detrimental effect on a child’s self-worth. 

These small details about light skin tones are presented in society, and sometimes they are easy to miss. Have you ever noticed that when you go to click on an emoji on your phone, the very first one you see is the lightest? And as you go down your emojis, they get a darker and darker tone. This minuscule detail makes all the difference in the big picture, the first emoji, the one everyone is “supposed” to choose, the one with the easiest access is the lightest skin tone. While the last choice, the one you are meant to essentially forget about, is that darkest toned emoji. These small features only further portray these toxic beauty standards that have plagued our society.

Overall, toxic beauty standards are something that has been harmful to our society and it is far past the time where we eliminate these beauty standards. Placing unrealistic body types, and appearances onto us take a toll on our self-esteem. We must realize that we are perfect the way we are and how vital it is to embrace our flaws. Because in the end, imperfection is perfection. 

PS: Take a few minutes out of your day to watch this video. It will teach you a valuable lesson on how to view yourself in a better light. The women in the video describe themselves to an artist and then a stranger describes the same woman to the artist. The artist compares the photos and it will teach you how we are often too critical of our appearance and how we should embrace our flaws rather than conceal them.