Inclusive Beauty- Diverging from Standards

Inclusive Beauty - Diverging from Standards

by Neha Suradkar

Historically, women were forced to conform to the ideal “standards” of beauty. It is a socially constructed notion that physical attractiveness is one of a woman’s most important assets and something all women should strive to achieve and maintain.

An attractive woman was always defined by her slender build, a full and generous bosom, a narrow waist, a curvy bottom, a well-defined jawline, high cheekbones, full lips, a rosy complexion, and thick, long, and flowing hair. A slight deviation from these beauty standards was considered exotic. If there was a huge deviation, the woman would be regarded as non-attractive.

Beauty standards are cultural, personal, and international. There are some beauty standards which are part of a particular society, while others are recognized globally. Women have been subjected to some form of physical inconvenience, which could be torture also, to conform to these beauty standards.

If we go back in history and look at the definition of an ideal woman in various cultures, we’ll find many such instances of physical agony. The Chinese wanted their women to have small feet, and hence a young girl’s toes were broken, bound with bandages, and put in small size shoes.

The corset of the 18th or early 19th century, constricted movement, restricted breathing, compressed the abdomen, and led to poor digestion and deformation of the rib cage, just to get the desired hourglass silhouette with the narrowest waist.

Coming to the present times, it was not too long ago when stick-thin models walking the ramp was desirable. To conform to this beauty standard, many teenage girls and women fell prey to eating disorders. Getting the ideal body and facial features lead many women to go under the knife.

Gradually things are changing, and in the last couple of years, we have seen a lot of changes in how women are perceived and how women want to be perceived. Women no longer want to be defined by beauty standards and are not willing to conform to those if they are not comfortable with them. There have been demands and protests to consider all women beautiful.

Hence, came the term “Inclusive Beauty.” It is all about making room for women of colour, obese women, bald women, women with wrinkles, women with grey hair, women with vitiligo, transgender women, and so on. Everyone is beautiful, and everyone is welcome.

Beauty brands, fashion labels, and the media all are making conscious efforts to promote the idea of inclusive beauty. We no longer see only young, white, skinny women on the cover page of an international magazine or the runway. Beauty brands no longer focus only on giving you a lighter complexion. In fact, the word “whitening” has been dropped by a lot of brands. Enhancing your beauty by not changing yourself is the new trend.

It is perfectly okay for women not to colour their hair and show off greys, which was frowned upon until a few years ago. Curvy and plus-size women have also found their niche, and modeling is not restricted to skinny women. Makeup brands are coming out with a range of colours that go well with deeper skin tones.

Brands have changed their marketing strategy to make it more inclusive. Celebrity campaigns do not have the same impact as having real people in the campaign. Millennial women look for authenticity. They like to associate with relatable brands. It makes them feel more valued, and brands can make women feel special by customizing the experience for them.

Inclusivity is all about celebrating diversity. These differences that we have, which deviate us from “standards,” make us interesting and unique. It is all about celebrating our differences and making sure everyone gets a unique experience.

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