Episode 240 | Body Politics: How Political Systems Impact Beauty Standards

In today's episode of Psych Talk, I discuss the intersection of politics and beauty standards. Prompted by a discussion at work about the rise in eating disorders over the past 5 years and noticing a shift back to the ultra-thin ideals, I decided to dive deeper into this topic to see what I could find. I start the episode by discussing a history of body politics - the practices and policies through which powers of society regulate the human body, as well as the struggle over the degree of individual and social control of the body. Body politics encompasses much more than just beauty standards; however, it is important to understand the broader picture. I then discuss how politics impacts beauty standards in general, with a focus on "conservative aesthetics" which we have seen a rise of in recent years. I then spend time specifically discussing how politics impacts beauty standards with regard to body size, race, and gender. I end the episode by discussing the impact of beauty standards on mental health. As noted throughout the episode, the information shared is not to shame anyone for following certain beauty trends or expressing themselves in a certain way; rather, to provide information on how the sociopolitical climate impacts what we view as "beautiful" so we can self-reflect on our own beliefs and push back, if we desire.

Recommended Reading

Sources for this Episode:

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/standard-issues-white-supremacy-capitalism-influence-beauty

https://www.dazeddigital.com/beauty/article/66958/1/beauty-backslide-how-the-pendulum-swung-back-to-thinness-and-conservatism

https://www.liebertpub.com/full/doi/10.1001/jamafacial.2018.0486

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6061013/

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/eat.24443#:~:text=First%2C%20a%20Danish%20register%2Dbased,2024;%20Sonne%20et%20al.

https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/body-politics

https://www.dazeddigital.com/beauty/article/65234/1/shift-beauty-standards-trump-win-president-utah-curls-nara-smith

https://qz.com/811718/theres-an-unsavory-link-between-conservative-politics-and-insulting-womens-looks

https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/12/14/1396

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/08/06/patients-are-desperate-to-resemble-their-doctored-selfies-plastic-surgeons-alarmed-by-snapchat-dysmorphia/

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