The hottest Beauty Standards Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Health & Wellness Topics

It’s Hot To Look Ill

The Unpublishable • 9630 implied HN points • 05 Apr 23
🪞 Fashion & Beauty Beauty Standards
  1. Throughout history, beauty standards have glamorized sickness such as tuberculosis, reflecting class distinctions and reinforcing traditional feminine roles.
  2. Contemporary beauty trends like 'succubus chic' glamorize cosmetic addiction and excessive procedures, signaling wealth and conformity to beauty industry standards.
  3. The beauty industry often promotes aesthetic trends that prioritize looks over actual health, leading to a disconnect between appearance and well-being.

I’m not self-optimizing anymore

Men Yell at Me • 705 implied HN points • 06 Aug 25
🎭️ Culture Beauty Standards
  1. Everyone seems to be focused on self-improvement and beauty, but it's overwhelming. It can make you want to give up and embrace bad habits instead.
  2. Marketing around beauty and wellness often puts pressure on women, making them feel they need to constantly change to be accepted. This adds unnecessary stress and financial burden.
  3. The push for perfection in appearance doesn't protect women from prejudice or challenges in life. It's important to recognize that superficial changes won’t fix deeper societal issues.

Men's Hotness Scale

Knowingless • 1742 implied HN points • 06 Jan 25
🎭️ Culture Beauty Standards
  1. A study was conducted to rate men's attractiveness based on women's opinions. Similar to a previous study on women, the results were surprising and showed that women's tastes can differ from the male perspective.
  2. The survey involved around 260 images of men’s faces, mostly AI-generated, rated by approximately 100 women. The results revealed that women often rated men's attractiveness lower than men rated women's.
  3. The highest rating for a man was 7.8 out of 10, while the highest for women was 8.4 out of 10. This suggests that women might take personality into account more than men do when judging attractiveness.
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Back to the 50s

Disaffected Newsletter • 1278 implied HN points • 20 May 23
🪞 Fashion & Beauty Beauty Standards
  1. Looking good doesn't have to be hard. You can use classic styles from the 1950s for a timeless look.
  2. For women, flattering dresses exist that suit all body types, and simple grooming is key. Stick to natural makeup for a fresh appearance.
  3. Men should keep their looks clean and classic, avoiding excessive jewelry and trends. A neat style will always be in fashion.

too much is never enough

bookbear express • 1001 implied HN points • 13 Dec 24
🪞 Fashion & Beauty Beauty Standards
  1. Women often feel pressured to meet unrealistic beauty standards, leading to feelings of inadequacy. Many believe they must constantly improve their appearance to be accepted.
  2. There's a cycle of consumption in beauty routines, where buying more products doesn't lead to genuine happiness or self-acceptance. Instead, it can make women feel even more dissatisfied.
  3. Finding a balance between caring for oneself and accepting flaws is important. It's crucial to understand that external changes won't fill emotional gaps.

I feel bad about my chin

The Shift With Sam Baker • 579 implied HN points • 27 Jul 23
🪞 Fashion & Beauty Beauty Standards
  1. The author expresses feeling bad about a specific physical feature, the chin, in the context of societal pressures and norms related to body image and self-love.
  2. There is a reference to the body positive movement that encourages self-acceptance and love for all body types, contrasting personal struggles with societal expectations.
  3. The post also touches on discussions around menopause and the losses associated with it, reflecting on personal experiences and reactions shared online.

Did feminism make men super vain?

Sex and the State • 24 implied HN points • 23 Jul 25
🎭️ Culture Beauty Standards
  1. Men are showing more interest in their appearance, with searches for fitness and beauty routines increasing, especially among younger generations. This trend shows changing attitudes about masculinity and self-care.
  2. Women's greater economic independence may influence men's beauty standards, leading them to care more about how they look. In societies where women have more status, men are becoming more focused on physical attractiveness.
  3. Social media and technology are changing how men present themselves, possibly having a bigger impact on male vanity than shifts in women's preferences. Men now see and feel pressure to look good online more than ever.

The Ugly Side Effects of Being Extremely Attractive

Torture Chamber Small Talk • 79 implied HN points • 21 Apr 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Beauty Standards
  1. Weight loss drugs like Ozempic can have serious side effects but are increasingly popular for cosmetic weight loss.
  2. Beauty standards and societal pressures play a significant role in the obsession with appearance and weight loss.
  3. Health should be the priority over beauty, and extreme measures like weight loss drugs should only be considered for health reasons, not just aesthetic purposes.

When Rags Become Riches: The Ironic Pursuit of Low-Class Aesthetics in High Fashion

Peak Horse • 34 implied HN points • 19 Jul 23
🪞 Fashion & Beauty Beauty Standards
  1. The wealthy often embrace low-class aesthetics in high fashion as symbols of status and exclusivity.
  2. Fashion trends like distressed jeans and sagging pants demonstrate the allure of class tourism among luxury brands.
  3. Low-class aesthetics in high fashion can serve as a bridge between different social strata, offering shared human experiences.

Beauty Is in the Algorithm of the Beholder

Digital Native • 0 implied HN points • 27 Nov 24
🎭️ Culture Beauty Standards
  1. Beauty standards are always changing based on what is seen as desirable. For a long time, being plump was a sign of wealth, but nowadays, being thin is often seen as the ideal.
  2. New drugs like Ozempic are making weight loss more accessible, which could shift beauty standards again. If everyone can easily lose weight, we might see a change in what is considered beautiful.
  3. The rise of social media and technology is influencing how we perceive beauty. With tools for photo editing and cosmetic procedures becoming more common, people are more focused on looking good in photos and online.