“Deceived, abandoned, and ashamed of being beautiful. “
That’s how “Arista,” 30, sums up the messy bankruptcy of her life after her ex left her. It’s been a year since then, but she still considers it justified for her ex to cheat on her less-than-ideal physique. appearance.
“I used to be stocky, I didn’t have fair skin, I’m not smart with makeup, maybe I’m embarrassed to be with her,” she tells Magdalene (8/10).
But things have replaced in this department. With the break leaving her deeply anxious, Arista has since become obsessed with products to lighten the skin and thin the frame. Her Instagram rule set began flooding her with classified ads about cosmetics and skincare that she ended up buying and employing frequently. For Arista, becoming good-looking is the most productive revenge for the guy who left her.
At first glance, Arista’s trust and reaction seem general: a narrative perpetuated through the media and so deeply rooted in our society. Take any dating course, and one of the topics taught is how to repair your damaged confidence by maximizing your full potential, adding more beautiful fit. The challenge lies in the question, which good-looking edition do we adhere to?
In fact, the criteria of good looks are not absolute; they are formed through a social construction. The concept of “good looks” is created through the powers that control women and is solidified through the media. This formula has been well documented in history.
If you look up the definition of “cantik” (pretty) in the Indonesian dictionary (Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia – KBBI), some of the proposed definitions are “a woman’s face” and “attract men’s attention”. are the other people KBBI? They gave it to you well: the government, through its Ministry of Education and Culture.
In June, we conducted an online survey of 725 respondents from all generations and genders in 29 provinces and 127 counties/cities. The purpose is to get a more complete picture of the belief in good looks and the behaviors that surround it in relation to technology. As a result of the research, we also invited a number of respondents to participate in an Organizational Talk (FGD) to discuss our survey findings.
This led to an engaging conversation. Most respondents agree that the concept of good looks like having fair skin has existed and is still prevalent in the current generation. According to the survey, 58 respondents explained that good looks are literally having fair skin, while another 35% expand their definition of good seems to have “glowing skin. “
This belief has arisen since the time when our ancestors were first exposed to communication technology. Looking back in history, there was even a uniform belief in good looks even in the pre-colonial era of the Kingdom of Java.
Ayu Saraswati, of Sensing Beauty, Sensing Race in Transnational Indonesia (2013) and a professor at the University of Hawaii Women’s Study, says this sense of uniformity comes from whoever has the strength right now, through the simplest media communication for a good-looking product. announcements. .
The era of virtualization has not replaced the dominance of safe criteria of good looks. The immediate evolution of virtual technology, the rise of a variety of social media platforms, the democratization of good looks through influencer culture may not have replaced good-looking criteria much.
Beauty myths persist as online media (numbering in the tens of thousands, according to the Indonesian Press Council) bombard other people with their own superseded, not to mention sexist and colorful, definition of good looks good in the news. The word “charming” is commodified and used to make us believe that we are not beautiful without being light-skinned, thin or mestizo.
Titles like “7 beautiful milk-white-skinned celebrities”, “Running out of rice, those five actresses look thin and beautiful”, “6 celebrities of Swiss origin, superbly mixed”, “Features of the beautiful fair skin found dead in a cornfield in Ngawi” have our daily consumption.
These kinds of headlines spearhead our belief that good looks mean meeting media expectations. Also, this is not a big challenge for women. In her 2002 seminal paintings The Myth of Beauty, Naomi Wolf says that the myth of good looks is created as a tool to feminize women, so that they become trapped in dissatisfaction with their own bodies, self-hatred and illness for their inability to attract men.
As a result, women are far removed from their own bodies. Their bodies are no longer completely autonomous because they are built through the market, society, culture and economy. A woman’s frame has become a synthetic framework and not her own, according to Anthony Synnott in The Body Social: Symbolism, Self, and Society (1993). That’s no small thing.
A rule requiring women to be thin to be perceived as attractive, for example, has caused frame dysmorphia and led women to the hotel to cosmetic surgery, go over-dieting, overuse passod look filters on social media or feel confident in themselves. when she is made up. Like Arista, 22% of Indonesians are dissatisfied with their body, as reported through a study by YouGov (2015).
To dissect the standards of good looks, our obsessions, and their relationship to technology, Magdalene presented her new knowledge journalism assignment titled Beauty and Technology Series (2022).
Our editorial team has produced 4 detailed articles and 4 videos covering topics ranging from how virtual filters frame dysmorphia, intergenerational standards of good looks, the effect of influencer culture in the good looks industry, to what good physical appearance is for. men.
These 4 videos and 4 articles are issued in a few weeks and can be viewed on social media (Youtube, Instagram) as well as on our main website.
Here are some of the key findings from Magdalene’s June survey involving 725 other people:
A total of 188 respondents say they use filters to lighten their complexion, and 126 respondents say they edit their photos before uploading them to social media.
This definition of good looks for fair skin showed researcher Ayu Saraswati’s thesis that fair skin is still the norm. The obsession with fair skin has meant that skin lightening products remain the best sellers in Indonesia’s cosmetic industry.
A study conducted in the first two weeks of August 2021 through Compas. co. id, a generation company specializing in business intelligence tools, found that most of the 10 smartest and best-selling good-looking products are skin lightening products. Topping the list is Scarlett Whitening (18. 9%), with its flagship product, Scarlett Whitening Brightly Ever After Serum (151,492 transactions) and Scarlett Whitening Acne Serum (80,106 transactions). The following positions are held by Vitaline, Nivea, HB Whitening, SRI2, Dosting, Kedas Beauty, Bierlian, MS Glow and Vaseline.
A norm that requires women to be thin to be perceived as attractive, for example, has caused frame dysmorphia and led women to hotel cosmetic surgery, excessive dieting, overuse of Passod Look filters in social networks or to feel sure of themselves. when she’s wearing makeup.
An encouraging location includes the fact that 82% of Magdalene respondents said that an intelligent personality (such as being self-confident and friendly, or having a great sense of humor) is a more wonderful definition of smart appearance today, followed by being presentable (525 respondents).
Why have the criteria for good looks changed? The answer is to develop awareness and exposure to the concept and messages of equality, constitution, inclusion and social activism. Even Victoria’s Secret, which for decades explained good looks like thin angels resembling Barbie, has changed: it now features athletes, LGBTQ activists, and tall models. to constitute the mark. Other brands such as Nike, Gucci, Prada and Zara have demonstrated a more inclusive marketing strategy, providing fluid fashion and unisex clothing.
Putting aside the commercial interest of their movements, those brands are conveying the message that good looks are varied and more amplified in our conversations.
In total, 401 of those who responded to Magdalene’s survey admitted they were of their physical appearance. Of these, 92% of women and 72% of men reported experiencing physical embarrassment.
The pursuit of knowledge confirms the many existing studies that link lack of acceptance as truth and frame shame to technology. even the most unlikely to achieve, and that leave depressed those who desperately seek to respect them.
In extreme conditions, lack of confidence also causes a disruption in the symbol of structure or anxiety that comes from the symbol of structure and physical appearance. Some other people with resources continually replace their physical appearance to match the symbol, according to Deborah Rhode, a law professor at Stanford University, in her e-book The Beauty Bias: The Injustice of Appearance in Life and Law (2010).
In addition, physical misfortune can be maintained because everyone believes that being another is a “mortal sin. “Ruth C. White Ph. D wrote in “Body-Love, Body-Shaming, and Health” in Psychology Today that the tendency to disgrace women for not matching the ideal good-looking construction have a tendency to cause eating disorders, body dysmorphia, and other intellectual disorders. Health disorders such as anxiety and depression.
According to clinical psychologist Syaska Narinda, frame dysmorphia occurs when a user continues to focus their attention on the parts of the frame they find unattractive. This is when the dark look of good-looking filters can take over, when you’re obsessed with ideal standards of good looks. , whether it’s smooth skin, a bigger or smaller nose or lips, upper cheekbones, a sharper chin, sharper jaws, or fox eyes like Belle Hadid.
Magdalene’s survey shows that 35. 5% of respondents use good-looking filters in social media apps. Lack of trust is the most sensitive on the list of reasons why they use filters. In fact, the photo filter, more than a playful and risk-free function, has become a necessity for us to appear perfectly on the screen.
An overwhelming majority of 99. 6% of the other 725 people surveyed generally use men using skin care products. 73. 3% of them, or 536 respondents, even think it’s general for men to wear makeup. This acceptance continues to improve each and every case. yearly.
Our research shows a link to raising awareness about men’s skincare and framework, helped through the creation and promotion of good-looking male brands on social media. Data from Euromonitor International in 2020 showed an accumulation of men’s awareness about skin care and framing among men over the age of 18 to 25 in Indonesia, especially the pandemic, when men also spend more time at home.
In addition, many skincare brands have begun to popularize genderless good looks, such as Avoskin, White Lab, Everwhite, NOFILTER, MS Glow Men, Kahf, and Norm. Through these brands, good masculine appearance is redefined, thus dismantling fragile masculinity. The message sent, it seems, is that skin care and makeup don’t have sex.
Why have the criteria for good looks changed? The answer is to develop awareness and exposure to the concept and messages of equality, representation, inclusion and social activism.
At the end of the day, we cannot communicate about good looks by ignoring political correctness and social justice. No, there is no justice only for the beautiful, because there is no single definition of the good. It’s up to us to make that definition.
This is the English edition of the article Teknologi dan Obsesi Cantik yang Problematik
This journalism task is supported by Meedan, a global nonprofit generation that creates programmatic and software tasks for journalism, virtual literacy, and online and offline data accessibility.
Editor-in-Chief: Devi AsmaraniEditor: Purnama Ayu RizkyEditor: Aulia AdamReporter/Researcher: Aurelia Gracia, Jasmine Floretta, Vania Evan, Theresia AmadeaGrapher: Jeje BahriCamera and editor: Tommy TrdkrWeb developer: Denny WibisonoSocial networks: Siti Parhani
Jadi wartawan dari 2010, tertarik dengan isu genus and kelompok minoritas. Di waktu senggangnya, ia biasa berkebun atau dengan anjing kesayangan.