My Two Cents: Buzzfeed's Women’s Ideal Body Types Throughout History

 

 

Buzzfeed Video/ Via YouTube

 

Hello friends! Before I break down my "two cents" regarding a thought-provoking article that I found recently, I thought it is only right to explain what this new subcategory on my blog is all about. Before I made this "fashion"- based blog, I actually had a BlogSpot where I blogged about my teen-angst life that I shared with two friends. Before then, I had multiple mini diaries where I wrote about my insecurities of being a pre-teen and I would hide them throughout my room. It seemed childish then, but I realized that I grew a fond love for writing. I am not good at it, but words can be powerful, and it would be a waste not to use them. I grew up in a culture that encouraged me to keep my thoughts private, so I kept my passive-self from having an opinion in public. When I discovered the freedom of writing my feelings into words, it was then when I learned who I am as an individual. Corny, I know, but it was quite the self-discovery during my adolescence.

 

This subcategory is just a place to express and articulate my opinions regarding the idea of beauty and to work on my insecurities. As a wannabe-fashionista, I still struggle with the idea of beauty, so if someone can relate to my thoughts and know he/she is not alone, then I have accomplished my purpose here.

 

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Yesterday, I found this article on Buzzfeed, and I was obsessed with it. It may not be 100% historically accurate, but I thought it did a pretty good job explaining the differences between eras. I have always admired the definition of beauty in respect to time. I love looking at the changes in perceptions because beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Personally, I cannot pick my favorite era because I cannot relate to a particular one. As I watched the video and read the article, I was trying to place myself into one of eras. For the "Han Dynasty" era, me and my size 6-6.5 feet totally relate, but I do not have pale skin; I have the complete opposite. As for the other eras that are dominated by either the curvy or skinny feature, I couldn't relate because I am neither curvy nor skinny. I don't have a high waist like those of the "Ancient Egypt" and I surely don't have large breasts like the "Italian Renaissance."

 

Out of all of the eras, the "Post Modern Beauty" era bothered me the most because I'm part of that era, but it definitely does not define me at all. It is described as "women should be skinny, but healthy; they should have large breasts and a large butt, but a flat stomach." According to that broad definition of beauty, I'm not considered beautiful. Yes, I weigh roughly 110lb, which is "skinny," but I have muffin top instead of a flat stomach. I have a flat chest and butt. I am not healthy, but I am working on it because I'm tired of feeling tired! Besides that fact, I just wished that the "Post Modern Beauty" was defined otherwise because it is almost impossible to achieve that look that "women have increasingly been turning to plastic surgery." People are entitled to their own opinions about plastic surgery, but I would hate to see someone change him- or herself to fulfill a mold that society depicts as beautiful.

 

A long time ago, I read somewhere that people are glad curvy women are considered beautiful, especially with the Kim Kardashian movement. Many felt tired of defining beauty as being skinny, so shifting from "skinny" to "curvy" was deemed appropriate. I felt quite sad when I read that comment because as part of the "skinny" population (with a muffin top), "curvy" women are now treating "skinny" women the same way they were treated before--with shame. I started to feel ashamed of my "skinny" body and wished for curves. I am all for redefining the definition of beauty by being realistic, but it shouldn't involve hate.

 

I can go on and on about my two cents regarding beauty like how it may be a psychological thing or how we are evolutionarily wired to think a certain way, but I'm going to stop it right there before I get ahead of myself. I am very opinionated about beauty because I have been judged based on it and as a result, I have many insecurities regarding my body. Typical, right? Sure, but it is not okay. Let's redefine beauty for the next era for the better, and let's start with ourselves.