Beauty Demands

Bullying has been in the news, not least because it was Anti Bullying Week in the UK last week, so it's a good time to revisit this great post from Kirsty Lee from 2018 (and check out  https://everydaylookism.bham.ac.uk/ )  Do you feel dissatisfied with one or more parts of your body or appearance? If so, you are not alone. In fact, body dissatisfaction is so widespread that it has been given the label of normative discontent . Although girls and women are most affected by body image issues, boys and men are increasingly dissatisfied with their body . Negative feelings about our bodies are therefore common, which is a problem in itself and raises important questions about why this is so prevalent across society. However, for some people, normative discontent turns into abnormal preoccupation. By abnormal, I mean negative beliefs, thoughts, and behaviour that affect the ability to function on a daily basis, significantly reduce quality of life, and increase the risk of early mortal

Why don’t you choose to wear braces to enhance your teeth? You would look better after getting your braces off!  You should find a way to reduce the size of your face!  You have such a short chin! Why don’t you consider having it surgically enhanced or undertaking orthodontics? These questions/statements were drilled into my mind before I ended up wearing dental braces mainly for aesthetic purposes. Peer pressure and demanding beauty standards brought orthodontics to my attention. It was such a painful three-year period wearing braces along with eight tooth extractions and speech and eating difficulties. Afterwards, apart from my heightened self-confidence to smile and speak, my facial appearance also improved. However, I still need to wear a removable retainer for the long term. I asked my mother why my father does not need to get his teeth fixed despite his short chin. She responded that females, unlike males, are hugely judged for their looks. As Gill (2007) writes, in comparison to