Redefining the Cultural Conversation Around Beauty

The definition of beauty (Merriam-Webster):

“The quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit.”

Redefining the Cultural Conversation Around Beauty

The concept of beauty is never stagnant. Changing from era to era, country to country, and most importantly – person to person – this most contentious concept is always in flux. However, there have been some interesting advancements in the world of aesthetics that are challenging one particular aspect of beauty – it’s standard.

While there’s always been some standard of beauty that women are expected to live up to, never has it been more prevalent in our daily lives. What used to be a trip to the cinema or the local bodega to see a famous actress on the silver screen or on the front of a magazine has now transformed into a steady stream of images on laptops, TVs, and even right in our very own pockets.

The most damaging part? Most of these images are distorted. You’ll often hear it passed off as “just a filter” or a little tweak here and there. But, in reality, it crosses the line from realistic to unrealistic, making the mainstream/social media’s ideal beauty completely unattainable. And whether we like it or not, we fall for it.

And that’s what makes the next bit so important.

Today, in an ever more globalized world, there’s a fight to make beauty more inclusive. The best part? It’s catching on.

It was in 2004 that Dove discovered through market research that only 4% of women think of themselves as beautiful. And then they made a decision, sparking a debate that still rages on “are we right to just let society decide upon what’s beautiful?” After all, influences come from all sides. Insecurity is a huge market. Every day, large corporations line their pockets by telling women they could be beautiful if they only…

And it worked, for some time, far too long. However, the Dove generation has slowly been denying this long-accepted notion that beauty is a thing that comes out of a bottle or a carefully photoshopped photo. It’s within. They’ve been beautiful all along; they’d just been lied to. And thus, they’re demanding change. They’re starting to notice the brands that distort their models alongside campaigns with no hint of self-esteem bolstering body positivity.

This widespread realization just happens to be coinciding with an increase in demand for brand relatability. The result? Brands not only leave heavy-handed photoshop at the doorstep but also hire models of all shapes, colors, sizes, and abilities. As a result, a sense of pride is being instilled into the notion of beauty, not one of vanity but rather one of self-acceptance. In other words, beauty is what you make of it. And, whatever you make of it – be proud.

Now, large brands are also bucking the old-fashioned notion of beauty, with Target and Asos one of the most well-known names among them.

The times, they are a-changin’

The definition of beauty, as outlined above, has almost always been the same. It has, however, been up to various cultures to decide what to make of that definition. And, what was once wildly varying, mutually unintelligible interpretations is slowly turning into a more shared, global idea of what beauty means.

At Couture boudoir, we are redefining the cultural conversation around beauty by showing women they are beautiful exactly how they are in this very moment. Ready to learn more? Reach out today!

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mode, but the true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows. The beauty of a woman grows with the passing years.”

~ Audrey Hepburn

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