What could be so wrong with a site that focused on one's true beauty? After all, I was and am a firm believer that beauty comes mostly from within, and this website seemed to support that idea at a quick glance. I plugged in my data and promptly forgot about my new account in the face of a bowl of popcorn and a viewing of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", and hadn't given the website a thought since.
Until last night, that is.
I got an email extolling the virtues of some quiz that I hadn't taken, and some article telling me how to choose the right shade of grey hair for my skin tone, as if a twenty-two year old needs to figure that out. However, as I was bored and wanting something to occupy my attention at one-thirty in the morning, I decided to make use of this account and discover my true beauty.
It seemed like a wonderful place. There were all sorts of articles discussing how stress can affect appearance and how to look like you've gotten your full eight hours when you haven't actually slept in two days, and those sorts of articles are always welcomed by a night owl like myself. There were all sorts of little beauty tips and tricks, and the plethora of quizzes on the site gave me all sorts of advice on how to eat healthily and how to deal with those persistent pimples that crop up during the summer months.
In fact, I didn't have a problem with the site until it asked me to find my "Face Proportion". I uploaded a picture, arranged the dots in the correct places, and expected the site to tell me what my face said about me or which celebrities I matched up with.
Instead, I was informed that my nose is too big, my eyes aren't close enough together, and my chin isn't prominent enough. As if that wasn't bad enough, I was offered a set of "action steps" to help resolve these glaring issues in my face, because by golly they needed to be resolved so I could be beautiful.
Shock, insult, and a little confusion all came together to create a strange, sad symphony of emotions in my mind as I read that my forehead-to-nose ratio needed to be corrected through the use of highlighting and shadowing to achieve the "perfect" face, but only if I also parted my hair to the side and made use of straight layers to even out my jawline. I had thought the site was trying to give helpful tips and boost people's self-image, not conform everyone to some unattainable standard of beauty.
Here's the photo I used for this little endeavor of mine.
Well, I have a side-part, but I guess I need to straighten my layered hair out to take care of that pesky jawline. And that smile is so off-kilter. I guess the fact that I was born without a section of jawbone and a tooth shouldn't affect how evenly my lips sit on my face.
The nose comments made me especially angry. I inherited a perfectly good schnauz from my dad, all angles and narrow bridge, and I love it. Even so, this website kindly informed me that because I don't have a "perfect little button nose", as is apparently the standard of beauty, I can't really be pretty without a nose job or five minutes with a makeup brush. They have science behind them, after all, and science is never wrong.
I think the thing that truly upsets me about this is the fact that the site is so hypocritical. I looked through a few more articles and quizzes after this quiz, looking for some redeeming quality, and I was honestly disappointed in what I was suddenly able to see: this website was forcing its own image of beauty, rather than celebrating beauty of all shapes, sizes, and kinds. One article would explain why any one opinion of beauty was stupid, and the linked articles at the end would tell readers how to naturally whiten teeth or make their waist look smaller. A quiz on hair joyfully informed me that thick curly hair was the best kind of hair, and the suggested reading included an article explaining exactly why everyone needed thinner and straighter hair. An article discussing lip color said that pale ladies with brown hair should go for purple lipstick, but later explained why purple lipstick washed out pale ladies with brown hair.
There's little advice for women of color. There's little advice for chunkier women who don't necessarily have hourglass figures. There's literally no advice for tall women. In fact, a search for the term "tall" resulted in only two relevant links: one a question from a tall girl who wanted advice on feeling shorter (we've all been there), one a mini-article on why tall women may be prone to cancer. Thanks, I guess?
I came out of my YouBeauty excursion feeling worse for the wear. I don't know how to properly taper my face with makeup, most of my attempts at polishing my nails go disastrously awry, my nose is too big, and I'm genetically predisposed to get cancer. And all this is supposed to make me feel beautiful?
YouBeauty isn't the definitive judge on YOUR beauty, MY beauty, or ANYBODY ELSE'S beauty. Beauty comes from the soul; if you feel and act beautiful and beautifully, you'll look it. It doesn't matter if your eyelashes are blonde or you wear size 11 shoes, because those aren't markers of your beauty. Acting kindly, being polite, showing positivity: that is true beauty.
Don't you dare let anyone tell you otherwise.
-'laine
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