Beauty Demands

How does facial difference interact with experiences of loneliness? Already the subject of significant discussion, loneliness has become an even more pressing topic during the COVID-19 pandemic, as we navigate unprecedented periods of separation and isolation. Critically, people with disabilities have generally been ignored in the international debate about loneliness. Our normal social interactions have been altered, our usual support networks disrupted. Our homes have become our workplaces, gyms, schools, as well as pubs and restaurants. While no two experiences of lockdown are the same, many people have expressed pervasive feelings of loneliness as they have adjusted to each subsequent phase of restriction on social activities. But loneliness is not always a negative experience, as highlighted in AboutFace PI Fay Bound Alberti’s recent Biography of Loneliness . Many have expressed comfort, relief, and contentment during periods of lockdown. Charities like Face Equality International

Throughout February – March 2021, the #EverydayLookism campaign hosted a series of live-streamed panel discussions .  In an earlier blog post for Beauty Demands, we wrote about the first event – Body Image As A Public Health Issue. In this blog post, we discuss the second and third #EverydayLookism events. Event 2: Appearance Bullying and Lookism In ‘Appearance Bullying and Lookism’, Professor Heather Widdows ,  Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP , Martha Evans ( The Anti-Bullying Alliance ), and Phyllida Swift ( Face Equality International ) discussed appearance bullying, the most common form of bullying, and why this needs to be taken as seriously as other forms of bullying. Phyllida outlined the sorts of lookism she faces as a woman with facial scarring, and explained how Face Equality International aim to challenge the discrimination, ostracization, and vilification experienced by those with facial disfigurements. Martha discussed how the very skinny ‘heroin chic’ beauty ideal of the la