A slim, toned body, curvaceous forms, perfect skin, a symmetrical face or long, healthy hair… Today’s beauty standards take the form of guilt-inducing injunctions that nevertheless reflect a privileged socio-economic status.
Let’s face it, beauty standards are the preserve of the rich. For as long as anyone can remember, wealth in the West has influenced and dictated body ideals. This is how the most fortunate have been able to mark their socio-economic ascendancy, a phenomenon that has persisted and become more complex.
Beauty standards and the Renaissance
During the Renaissance period, from the 15th to the 17th century, the influence of wealth on standards of beauty began to emerge very strongly.
At that time, having a corpulent body was the quintessential sign of high social status. Wealthy people could afford an abundant diet, which contrasted with thinness, which was a sign of poverty.
Similarly, in this so-called agrarian society (an economy based on agriculture), pale skins were highly valued because they indicated that people did not need to work outdoors, as was the case with the workforce.
Contemporary beauty standards
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Today, particularly in Western societies, it is slimness and a tanned complexion that are representative of beauty standards. These ideals reflect new socio-economic and cultural developments.
These days, being overweight or looking grey is an indicator of low social status, but access to a balanced diet and time for sport or sun holidays (or even tanning sessions) is often easier for the financially well-off.
This trend towards achieving beauty ideals also includes the use of expensive cosmetic products and recourse to cosmetic surgery, which is above all within the reach of the very wealthy.
External influences
The media, fashion and entertainment industries are fiercely involved in defining global beauty standards.
It is mainly through celebrities and even influencers that we can observe the promotion of beauty ideals. Standards that often require considerable financial resources to achieve.
This display of ideals, coupled with globalisation, is leading to a standardisation of aesthetic standards that are those of wealth. And although cultures influence each other, it is Western ideals that continue to dominate because of their high media profile.
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Psychological and social consequences
Children and teenagers are shaped by the image of beauty standards influenced by wealth. This creates a pressure to conform that can affect the mental health of the most vulnerable (eating disorders, low self-esteem, etc.).
Similarly, beauty standards insidiously reinforce social inequalities. They promote the attributes associated with the wealthiest and stigmatise those who are not financially able to achieve them.
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