Confidence Vs. Vanity: How Feminism & Aesthetics Have Evolved
What does it mean to be aesthetically pleasing as a woman? Is it symmetry? Full lips and high cheek bones? And, who gets to decide whether or not you are aesthetically pleasing? Men? You? Is it anti-feminist to invest in your appearance? These are all questions that I’ve encountered during my career in aesthetics and time spent in arts education. If you are a strong, powerful, feminist woman, ✊🏽✊🏼✊🏿 do you feel guilty about receiving beauty treatments for fear that you’re doing it for others [men]? As both an artist and top Aesthetic Injector in Philadelphia, I’d love to share my thoughts on this topic in hopes that it might encourage you to feel empowered in your decision to invest in your appearance. While our lives as women moving forward in the world, pushing progress and equality are complex and often times marked by physical and emotional scars… we don’t have to wear that trauma on our faces or bodies to feel proud of our accomplishments. We should be allowed to claw our way through childbirth, adversity, the fight against our own biological clocks, and still feel good about the way we look when we arrive on the other side of it all. I don’t believe that any decision to “age gracefully” made out of hesitation is particularly noble. It’s a personal decision that should be made out of complete love and respect for yourself, and conversely the decision to invest in your appearance. I’m fully supportive of a woman’s decision to age gracefully or invest in her appearance when the woman in the mirror reflects the woman she sees inside of herself. ❤️
“This is not the moment to wilt into the underbrush of your insecurities. You’ve earned the right to grow.”
-Cheryl Strayed, Feminist and New York Times Best-Selling Author of WILD
The Art of Feminism
There is no doubt that feminism is an art form. 🧑🏼🎨 The canvas of femininity has been touched by all women from all walks of life, one-by-one… some strokes deep and profound, others intricate and reserved, all working in unison to create this beautiful portrait of equality. I’ve had the pleasure to work with strong, successful, feminist women from diverse cultures and backgrounds. While some are more radical in their views, and others more conservative, the crux of their belief system is fundamentally the same - Equal rights and treatment for men and women. The art of feminism touches every aspect of our daily lives - equal pay, equal rights, equal treatment in the workplace and… aesthetics.
Aesthetic Enhancements and Feminism in the 21st Century
Gone are the days when women should feel inclined to seek out aesthetic enhancements solely for the adoration or procurement of a mate, but also… gone are the days when we should feel that our decision to enhance upon or maintain our beauty is somehow a slight against our feminist views or work. Our almost infinite options with regard to modern medical aesthetic treatments and progress towards equality finally allows us to make the well-deserved investment in our appearance from a place of power and self-love. We get to do it (Botox, fillers, breast enhancements, facials, and all of the other life-changing beauty treatments at our disposal) for US not them. That’s right, for USSSSS 💁🏼♀️.
The History Behind Human Attraction and Aesthetics
The Evolution of Human Physical Attractiveness by Steven W. Gangestad and Glenn J. Scheyd explores whether or not human standards of physical attractiveness can be understood through the lens of evolutionary biology.
Face:
According to researchers, women considered to be highly attractive by men, ranked higher in facial femininity with features such as small chins, large eyes, high cheekbones and full lips. “This finding has been replicated in a wide variety of human groups (e.g., United Kingdom, Japan, Russia), including traditional South American groups with little to no exposure to western standards of beauty.” Additionally, the study shows that facial femininity and symmetry were subconscious markers for RV (Reproductive Value) and health.
Body:
Studies show that across a wide variety of cultures, men do prefer a lower than average waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). “The primary benefit of this preference may ancestrally have been the same as a benefit of a preference for feminine faces: Low WHRs reflect a history of energy balance and flux that promotes allocation of energy into reproductive effort.”
So basically…
While there is no evidence to support that full lips and wide hips produce better offspring, or that men with strong jawlines and low brows are better protectors and providers, these are quality markers that have been passed down from generation-to-generation in a wide variety of human groups and cultures. These studies show that wanting to attain certain physical attributes, as well as seek out certain physical attributes in a partner, aren’t necessarily unnatural or vain. Men and women are actually predisposed to be drawn to these physical attributes. Don’t beat yourself up for wanting bigger lips or a symmetrical facial structure, it’s in your DNA!
In a recent MasterClass, 💅🏾Drag Queen icon and TV personality, RuPaul was quoted saying, “If you want to make more money, wear a suit. Put yourself together, people respond to it. It has nothing to do with you, it has to do with the narrative that’s already implanted in people’s consciousness. You don’t want to swim upstream, you want to work with what people already know. You can use that tool to get what you want out of this life.” While I acknowledge that RuPaul is not a woman, but a close ally to the feminist movement, I understand his message. People can’t always help what they’re drawn to or biased about when it comes to social cues or physical attraction. If it’s something that makes you feel better about yourself then I believe that the decision to invest in your appearance comes from a place of power and self-love. If it helps others feel better about you as well, then that’s just icing on the cake 🎂😉.