Reminds me how saddened I am at how normalised botox has become. And it's also super expensive! I have a couple of friends who get it because "without it they would look terrible". I know I shouldn't, but I also take this as a personal indictment - if that's what they think of themselves, what do they think of me? Growing old is a privilege not all get, I hope we can move into a paradigm that also recognises signs of aging as beautiful, and as evidence of a life lived.
Thank you so much for bringing up the "ugly laws". So few people know about that – and it says so much about how and why the disability community faces discrimination; It's about much more than ramps and elevators. I had a friend (since passed away from cancer) who was a little person and an attorney and early in his career he applied to a law firm where his interviewer declared that they couldn't employ him because they could not have clients thinking they "were running a circus."
Yes. Yes yes yes. Spot on. Thank you for writitng this article, it is so important and i’m so glad I read it.
Yesterday, I stumbled upon a youtube video called “the last glow up plan you ll ever need” or something… i did not resist and clicked on it; and ended up feeling so sad about what I was listening to.
Because in the end, unrealistic and somehow unatainable characteristics (like plastic surgery) were put forward at the top of the pyramid, signifying “the little tweaks and touch ups that make us look even more beautiful” and it’s so unnerving to me.
The reason why i even click on videos like this and why my algorithm is filled with things about glow up, looksmaxxing, pretty privilege, are bleak, and sad to thing about.
I feel especially that the white skin=richer beauty standard is even more grim thn we realise.
Anyway thank you for sharing and I’d love to see this perspective shared more widely. We shouldn’t be so calm about ageism and the younger generations being even more influenced than we are, too (like the 13 teens who do anti aging beauty routines videos on tiktok)
I witnessed the described pretty privilege in the workplace, when a young white wasp was employed to assist me without my input. I was just told she's a nice girl. To find out she'd worked for my boss as a promo model for the companies awful Christmas parties. Those young women where there to inflate the ego of the clients and contractors (99% male).
A few months into her employment she changed her look (brown hair, dressed less for the male gaze ect). Our boss said to her face that he wouldnt have employed her with this "goth" look and she should change it back.
The beginning of this had me thinking about aesthetic theory (basically: the philosophy of beauty), which could be interesting to pull in here. The discipline presents quite a few arguments about whether aesthetic taste is personal to the individual or abides by some sort of universal law/truth. The idea of “pretty privilege” could really complicate either side of the argument.
Reminds me how saddened I am at how normalised botox has become. And it's also super expensive! I have a couple of friends who get it because "without it they would look terrible". I know I shouldn't, but I also take this as a personal indictment - if that's what they think of themselves, what do they think of me? Growing old is a privilege not all get, I hope we can move into a paradigm that also recognises signs of aging as beautiful, and as evidence of a life lived.
Thank you so much for bringing up the "ugly laws". So few people know about that – and it says so much about how and why the disability community faces discrimination; It's about much more than ramps and elevators. I had a friend (since passed away from cancer) who was a little person and an attorney and early in his career he applied to a law firm where his interviewer declared that they couldn't employ him because they could not have clients thinking they "were running a circus."
Yes. Yes yes yes. Spot on. Thank you for writitng this article, it is so important and i’m so glad I read it.
Yesterday, I stumbled upon a youtube video called “the last glow up plan you ll ever need” or something… i did not resist and clicked on it; and ended up feeling so sad about what I was listening to.
Because in the end, unrealistic and somehow unatainable characteristics (like plastic surgery) were put forward at the top of the pyramid, signifying “the little tweaks and touch ups that make us look even more beautiful” and it’s so unnerving to me.
The reason why i even click on videos like this and why my algorithm is filled with things about glow up, looksmaxxing, pretty privilege, are bleak, and sad to thing about.
I feel especially that the white skin=richer beauty standard is even more grim thn we realise.
Anyway thank you for sharing and I’d love to see this perspective shared more widely. We shouldn’t be so calm about ageism and the younger generations being even more influenced than we are, too (like the 13 teens who do anti aging beauty routines videos on tiktok)
I witnessed the described pretty privilege in the workplace, when a young white wasp was employed to assist me without my input. I was just told she's a nice girl. To find out she'd worked for my boss as a promo model for the companies awful Christmas parties. Those young women where there to inflate the ego of the clients and contractors (99% male).
A few months into her employment she changed her look (brown hair, dressed less for the male gaze ect). Our boss said to her face that he wouldnt have employed her with this "goth" look and she should change it back.
The beginning of this had me thinking about aesthetic theory (basically: the philosophy of beauty), which could be interesting to pull in here. The discipline presents quite a few arguments about whether aesthetic taste is personal to the individual or abides by some sort of universal law/truth. The idea of “pretty privilege” could really complicate either side of the argument.
Very interesting piece!