Society has changed throughout the years and with that, so has the beauty standards. What is featurism you might ask? It is a form of prejudice or discrimination regarding your physical appearance and how closely they align with the beauty standard.
My Story
When I thought of writing this article, I thought of the many forms of featurism I have experienced regarding “beauty standards.” I grew up in a household where all the adults were obsessed with the newest “weight loss tea” and just dieting to get thinner. Although they loved it for themselves, they tried enforcing it on me and my cousins. I would often get told maybe if I try this diet, I can have “the dream body.”
I tried ignoring it for the most part, but as I got older, I see why they would try so hard. This generation made an unrealistic standard and it is hard to keep up. I would get comments on my body growing up that made me feel horrible, while I witnessed others get praise. It made me gym and food-obsessed, which created a bad mentality that I still to this day am recovering from. It hurts more today because I know I’m not the only one that felt this way.
I asked several women I am friends with and that I have class with a few questions, trying to show a better understanding that this concept exists everywhere.
Do you think featurism is a thing and why?
To no surprise, most of their answers were Yes. Most had similar responses talking about if you’re not the ideal standard then you won’t get picked in a room full of women. Someone did say “I think featurism exists in dating culture mostly, but it can also affect you in the corporate world as well.” Meaning you can either be idolized and respected or pushed away and rejected.
Have you ever felt pressure to conform to mainstream beauty standards?
One person has mentioned that they dye their hair blonde and try to stay fit, in order to “fit in” with the community around her. Another had said they feel perfectly fine with themselves. One answer in particular that stood out to me was, “I feel like I am part of the standard back home, so no, but here in college it’s a different story.”
Are there specific features that people have complemented or criticized about you?
When I asked this question, you can tell that they were thinking long and hard. They all said they were complimented on their eyes or smiles. Though someone had mentioned how she felt romanticized by some of her features, but mentioned how it was unsaid that she felt judged by her height, being taller than most.
When did you first experience featurism?
“I got picked on growing up because I had a bigger nose.” “Family and peers constantly made me feel inferior due to my weight.” “I was always chosen last in my friend group of thinner girls.”
These are some answers I got from some of my friends and Peers. Sad isn’t it?
Society has not only ruined the minds of women all around the world, but is setting up our future generations to follow. I feel sad for our generation, but I have hope for the next. We have time to set different mindsets in our children to not care about societal norms. We also need to have more inclusivity in order to not narrow down to one specific standard. It is not a good thing to grow up thinking you will never be good enough, and It is harmful to compare yourself to others, just because society says so. We need to do better. We CAN do better.