" I use to hate my largish nose , but then I see a picture of my mammy and me together , and I clear it ’s hers . I love it now because it ’s my mama ’s nose , and I do n’t require to change it . "
It’s no secret that unattainable beauty standards have wrecked women’s self-esteem for far too long. Though there have been recent pushes for body positivity and body neutrality, we have a long way to go in rejecting societal expectations surrounding women’s bodies.
Well, in r/AskWomen, Reddit useru/moneynahrecently posed thequestion, “What beauty standard has affected you the most?”
And there were so many thoughtful and heartbreaking responses. Here are some of the top-voted answers:
1.“That women have to fight against aging, and we need to maintain our young appearance at whatever cost.”
— Sea - Stress1309
" This is so substantial , and the double standard is quite ridiculous . I have to go on looking 20 as long as possible at whatever disbursal , while much every other serviceman around me who is my age has a belly , gray hair , no fashion horse sense , and is likely balding . Men can age pretty much however they ’d like to . Does it annoy the hell out of me ? Yes , dead . I ’m in no way of life a human race - hater ; I jazz men . But this crap is real , and it ’s ridiculous . "
— u / UrBartender
2.“That women have to be skinny to be pretty.”
— u / Anypega
" I feel like I ’ve done so much work with body disinterest , but since entering a family relationship , I ’ve realized I have a fate more work to do in my kinship between my body and men . All these beauty standards come roaring up in my relationship despite my boyfriend being pretty much perfect about my weight and body . "
— atomic number 92 / bi - loser99
" Also staying thin in all the ' right ' places and thick in other place that society has deemed satisfactory . "
— u / giorgionaprymer
3.“The reality that beauty standards are centered around Eurocentric ideals and fair skin.”
— u / gh0st_belle
" Growing up biracial in a Southern livid biotic community was a trip . Popular makeup and fashion trends seldom worked quite right with my face and skin . Advice like ' just have self-assurance and you’re able to fit in anywhere ' does n’t hold water if people automatically get into you do n’t belong based on the shape of your eyes and cheekbones . "
— uranium / tsuki - housemaid
" Yep . Still press my internalized colorism daily since I was discouraged from inscribe sunlight as betimes as I could take the air . Such a horrible building complex . "
— u / ethiobirds
4.“That women are expected to have no body hair.”
— u / thecloudandcookies
" It ’s this one for me , too — especially with my PCOS and hirsutism . It has affect me so much . "
— u / bossanova - modality
" I ’ll never get back the clock time I spend build sure my dead body was hairless every sidereal day . At the ripe old age of 32 , I ’m over deal . "
— u / allfoxedup
5.“Huge breasts. I grew up seeing all those half-naked busty celebrities on TV, without realizing that most of them aren’t natural.”
— u / Parimnimi
" Omg yes . I ’ve got A cup , and I ’ve always believe they were deficient . Never had any complaint but always felt they were lacking . Now , I ’m in my late 30 . Actually looking at what they look like , I finally harmonize with my husband — they front awesome . I just wish I had n’t spend 35 year feeling subpar when they ’re candidly really courteous boobs ! "
— u / realgoodsexperson
" Yup . Boobs . My own are starkly asymmetrical , and it occupies my mind despite my good efforts to work on myself . I am spare up for fat transfer operating room to alter them . Funny matter ? Apparently , imbalance in boob is super common . Well , I ’ve never construe boobs like mine on TV or in the media . It ’s always align for proportion . "
— u / scooobsmama
6.“That my nose will never be the little button nose that women are ‘supposed’ to have.”
— u / The_cuddly_duckling
— uracil / JessieN
7.“The expectation that long and straight hair is the goal for every girl. Curls are ‘inferior,’ and short hair also. I’m still so insecure about my hair. Constantly. I wore extensions for years, and they were weighing down my roots and causing damage.”
— atomic number 92 / ResolutionFeisty2427
— u / glibschigglubsch
8.“Having clear skin. I am in my early 30s and still have some back acne. It’s gotten better since my teens, but it’s hormonal and unpredictable, so there isn’t much I can do to control it except eat well, exercise, and try to manage my anxiety.”
" It affected me so badly that last summer was the first summer I wear out spaghetti shoulder strap meridian that show off my back since I was 12 . I felt I was quick to start not yield a f*ck even if I still have hyperpigmentation and some pimples . "
— u / VisagePaysage
" The whole glass skin fixation . Skin texture is normal . "
— uracil / lieutenantblackhat
9.“That stretch marks are bad. I’ve never been super comfortable in a bathing suit.”
— atomic number 92 / daisybluebird9
10.“The concept that any eating is bad eating, or that women shouldn’t eat in public except for, like, super dainty salads or something. Eating ‘real food’ or anything remotely messy is ‘unladylike.’ I swear, if one more person says something along the lines of ‘a moment on the lips, forever on the hips…'”
— u / dr239
11.“Perky boobs. I have been mocked by other girls my entire life for having saggy boobs. They’ve never been perky. They never will be. I fantasize about chopping them off. Guys constantly used to say to my face that they found big saggy breasts to be repulsive, and that small perky boobs were superior.”
" Fashion trends despise saggy boobs . Men despise them . woman despise them . The medium scorn them . I feel humiliated by them . Literally , just typing this out make me want to cry . "
— uranium / beigecurtains
12.“Having long slender legs. I’m 5’ and have little stubs.”
— uranium / Starlight_City45
13.“That our bodies should stay the same throughout life. It’s perfectly natural for your body to change as you grow older, especially if you have had children. There is nothing wrong with that!”
— uranium / Shady2304
14.“The thigh gap.”
— u / Friendly - Fox-7707
" THIS ISN’T mouth ABOUT ENOUGH . "
— u / jkingprunty
15.“The overall airbrushed look. Just the fact that no line, wrinkle, blemish, cellulite, or bulge can be seen. I am just as guilty in overanalyzing every picture of myself, and I hate it.”
— u / ee8989
16.“That glasses make you ugly!”
— u / CelineDionn
17.And finally, “Growing up as a teen during the 2000s era of very flat stomachs exposed everywhere, from J.Lo to Britney Spears, mine was always a slight pooch! I notice generally a lot of people’s insecurities they carry with them in life are a result of what was the beauty norm at the time they went through puberty. Ugh! But we can still try to fight the good fight and say f*ck it!”
— atomic number 92 / pattimay_ho_nnaise
Note : Some responses have been edited for duration and/or clarity .
