SO WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?
We know the effects that toxic beauty standards can have on the overall health and development of adolescents, but what can we do about it?
NORMALIZE NORMAL
The first step should be to normalize normal. Society needs to accept that such standards are close to impossible to achieve and only negatively affects future generations. Things like being very short or tall, having stretch marks, freckles, deformities or extra fat should be made normal and acceptable. Beauty influencers need to stop the excessive promotion of photoshop and instead promote normal body types. This goes for both men and women. This way, adolescents can see that what they view on social media is not what is real, and that it’s okay to not look like those Instagram models.
