If you don’t know what “The Great Shift” is, let me break it down. It’s a concept making waves on social media, mainly TikTok and Instagram, suggesting that Black people and South Asians are suddenly becoming “trendy” or “attractive” in the eyes of the mainstream. But here’s the thing: Black and South Asian people have always been beautiful. This “great shift” isn’t a celebration—it’s a glaring reminder of how deeply rooted our society is in Eurocentric beauty standards, and it makes me so angry.
For years, Eurocentric features—light skin, narrow noses, thin lips, and certain body types—dominated what society deemed attractive. These standards were exported globally, leaving many people, especially in marginalized communities, feeling invisible or unworthy. The rise of “The Great Shift” might seem like progress, but it’s problematic at its core. Why does it take validation from Western or predominantly white audiences for people of color to be seen as beautiful? That kind of approval isn’t liberation; it’s conditional acceptance.
The whole “Great Shift” trend is frustrating because it treats beauty like it’s just another trend that comes and goes. For so long, South Asians, especially Indians, were seen as “dirty” or “undesirable” due to colonialism and Eurocentric standards. Now, suddenly, brown skin and full lips are being celebrated as the new “attractive” look. But here’s the thing: this shift isn’t really progress; it’s just another cycle of beauty standards changing with the latest trend. One minute, these features are in, the next minute they could be out. Just earlier this year, for example, Indian people were still being called the “least dateable” race on platforms like TikTok. It shows how quickly admiration can turn into rejection. This kind of back-and-forth only highlights how beauty standards are constantly shifting with the whims of mainstream culture, leaving people of color caught in the middle. Real beauty isn’t about trends—it’s about consistent recognition and respect, not just what’s popular in the moment.
And let’s talk about the fetishization. Many of the videos celebrating Black or South Asian beauty focus on stereotypical features, reducing entire cultures to aesthetics. For South Asians, it might be almond-shaped eyes or dark, luscious hair. For Black people, it might be curvy bodies or specific hairstyles. This fetishization doesn’t celebrate individuals; it objectifies them, making them commodities for consumption rather than appreciating their full humanity.
Moreover, these shifts reinforce colorism within these communities. Suddenly, being dark-skinned is acceptable, but only if it fits a specific narrative tied to desirability. It doesn’t address the systemic issues that made dark skin undesirable in the first place. People shouldn’t have to wait for society to “catch up” to their beauty; they should be allowed to exist, thrive, and be appreciated without conditions.
What’s needed isn’t a shift—it’s a complete dismantling of beauty standards that prioritize one type of look over others. Representation in media is a step in the right direction. Seeing people like Simone Ashley in Netflix’s Bridgerton or Zendaya on every major red carpet matters because it challenges the norms. But true change happens when we stop needing permission from the dominant culture to recognize beauty in all its forms. “The Great Shift” isn’t great at all. It’s a symptom of a larger issue: a global obsession with whiteness as the standard. Black and South Asian people don’t need to trend to be beautiful—they always have been. Instead of celebrating the shift, let’s challenge the system that made it necessary in the first place.