Featuring Features

While that freckle on your foot or birthmark on your cheek may be common features, some people have a tendency to conceal characteristics of themselves that differentiate them from the rest. Why is that? Societies have set standards, labeling certain appearances as superior to the others. Aspects such as symmetrical teeth and perfect nose-slopes were placed on a pedestal, with society looking down upon those who did not fit this construct. In the last few years, however, we’ve observed a change in the narrative about what beauty truly means, and how it can radiate through all types of features. It’s about time!

Teeth are showcased in almost every ad or campaign we come across, whether on television, social media, magazine spreads, or even your local billboard. In America, many people typically have braces at a young age, and from then on out, are deemed safe from social persecution. What about those who don’t get braces and may have a gap or slightly crooked teeth? Why aren’t these people told that their smiles are just as radiant? It wasn’t until a few decades ago that magazines started featuring individuals with gapped or crooked teeth. People need to see that their smiles are normal and there isn’t a “one size fits all” guideline for toothy grins. It is ingrained in us to believe that having a brilliant smile entails having straight, pearly white teeth. What isn’t taught is that the best smile comes from within–from the happiness and positivity you exude as a person. Have societal standards been taken to such an extreme where some wish to have a deviated septum just so that they can have an excuse to get a nose job? The nose is a feature people can’t hide, so the alternative has turned to photoshop or surgery. In today’s day and age, it is prevalent for people to edit their noses to look a certain way to give an illusion of the “ideal” size. People will invest in expensive makeup and spend hours watching YouTube tutorials on how to achieve the “perfect” contoured nose. Our culture needs to start promoting all different nose types, whether it be larger nostrils, a bump in the middle of the nose, or anything in between. It’s time to show off your nose and kiss unrealistic expectations goodbye. Eyebrows are a feature that many, especially beauty lovers, obsess over. Making bi-weekly threading appointments, tinting the eyebrows, plucking them weekly, or even filling them in to ensure they look camera-ready is extremely common. When did the idea of going more than a few weeks without altering the brows become an anomaly? Experimenting with the occasional unibrow and embracing bushy eyebrows can be empowering. Only recently have we witnessed brand campaigns flaunting models or influencers who choose to let their eyebrow hair grow freely. There is no “right” way eyebrows should look. All eyebrow shapes are alluring and unique.

BIRTH MARK

MODEL EMMA KUBEK

MODEL LILY FERENC

CHIPPED TOOTH

Stretch marks and cellulite seem to be on most of our bodies, yet we manage to either avoid talking about them or cover them up. In the past, society has commonly viewed cellulite or stretch marks as “negative” aspects of weight gain. Not only has society progressed to the point where all weights are seen as empowering, but these once “negative” aspects are now recognized in a different light. Celebrities, models, and even the general public have been bringing up this conversation more, and we’re finally coming to the consensus that these features are perfectly normal. They are not a sign of weakness or points of insecurity, rather proof of how amazing and transformative the human body is. Dreadlocks have been around for centuries and are finally being embraced by the fashion world in a more progressive manner. The hairstyle has been known to be representative of politics, spiritual beliefs, and many other elements of specific cultures. Dreadlocks are often seen as closely connected to reggae culture or as a symbol of reggae itself. Around the world, there exists a deep-rooted idea that straight, sleek hair is the ideal hair type. As a result, Black people, in Western cultures, have often been wrongly criticized throughout history for wearing this hairstyle. Dreadlocks have been called not as beautiful as the straight-haired ideal, and in corporate America, unprofessional. This standard needs to be changed. It is essential to grow and educate ourselves as a society and accept other cultures. Dreadlocks have the power to highlight one’s culture, as well as showcase one’s individuality. We owe it to ourselves to be kinder to our bodies, and everyone deserves to love the features that make each of us beautiful. Some advice: don’t obsess over fitting in, but focus on how you can stand out. Beauty isn’t defined by “perfection” or “normality”, rather by what shines from the inside.