So by the logic of “beauty standards”…I should starve myself, curl my hair, get a tan, cut off both my feet to lose height and then remove all of my ribs to get an hourglass figure? You know…can’t argue with that 🙃
Gladly…would
(except maybe the tan part, I really like being pale 😭)
A less interesting explanation is that everyone’s comparing themselves to the mean. If any attribute is too different, it needs correcting. Weight, skin tone, number of fingers and toes, etc.
It’s the opposite, you’re comparing yourself to what’s exotic in your community and generally only achievable by the elites.
In Scandinavia, being tanned has been a beauty standard for decades. As most people work indoors.
In Asia being as pale as possible is the aim, as the peasants have been working outside. Being pale was the beauty standard in Europe throughout the mediaeval years, as peasants then worked outside.
Anything that can make you appear well off tends to be a beauty standard, it’s arguably the main reason some circles have obvious hideous plastic surgery as a beauty standard today, it proves you’re able to afford such surgery
To add to that, in the past being overweight and unfit was a sign of wealth. Only rich people could afford to eat and sit around all day. Nowadays it’s inverted; only well off people have the time to eat healthy and exercise regularly
With the price of food, we’ll get there again