I stumbled across an article the other day about a woman who were representing Sweden for the Miss Earth competition in 2020. I looked at the picture of her – a young girl, but with quite extreme features, high and round cheeks, big lips, long and thick eyelashes, tiny waist, large bust on a pair of slim and long legs.
It made me wonder, how does it work with this kind om competition, are the participants allowed to use cosmetic surgeries and procedures and still be able to participate to miss Earth, where the world’s most beautiful woman, in terms of appearance, are supposed to be crowned? It didn’t take many seconds of googling before I had the answer. YES. There are no rules that prevent the participants from undergoing as many procedures as they want and still have a chance to be crowned as the world’s most beautiful women. I was quite surprised, not because I thought that Miss Earth competitions held any tremendously high moral standards, I don’t believe that beauty can or should be competed in, as, in my opinion, it comes from the inside. But for such a large, international competition to not take responsibility and put a stop to cosmetic procedures on women is completely absurd.
The first winner ever of the Miss World competition was Finnish Armi Kuusela, who was crowned in 1952. She was 17 years old, and at that time there was no plastic surgery, fillers, Botox, or facelifts. I can’t say that it was better back then, because the competition still revolved around the same thing – competing in beauty. But the message the competition sent to women around the world was at least natural. The appearance that won back then looked like ordinary people, with unique features.
How does this affect young girls, who are constantly bombarded with images in the media of women who look ‘perfect’? Well, they demand the same on themselves. Their lips aren’t full enough, their noses are too big, the cheek could also be more defined. The constant pursuit of perfection at any cost means, that the beauty industry earns a lot from cosmetics, creams, botox and fillers. Some even go so far as to have implants inserted into their breasts, or liposuction of thighs and stomachs. It’s a vicious circle. It is like an illness that has affected an entire generation. “Everyone does it, so why shouldn’t I?” The images almost normalize all these interventions. Influencers write about their interventions and give tips such as which salon is the best.
What does it do to young girls to constantly be bombarded with images in the media of women who look ‘perfect’? Well, they place the same demands on themselves – they want to look like that too. Their lips aren’t full enough, their nose is a bit too big, their eyes could use a lift too, right? The constant pursuit of perfection and reaching their best selves, at any cost, allows the beauty industry to profit from cosmetics, creams, botox, and fillers. Some even go so far as to have breast implants or undergo liposuction on their thighs and stomach. It’s a vicious cycle. It’s like a disease that has affected an entire generation. Everyone is doing it, so why shouldn’t I? It becomes a silent demand that gnaws at them, and the images normalize all these procedures. Influencers write about their procedures and recommend the best salons.
In the end, you find yourself lying there during lunch with needles sticking into your lips, with a bill of 500 euros. It becomes a form of self-realization, a product that is consumed. A few months later, it’s time again if you want to maintain the result. The lips already feel a bit dull and flat, so it’s best to book a quick treatment during lunch. The vicious cycle is in motion. The critical eye is on alert. Now you have the perfect lips, and it wasn’t that difficult. What can I improve next? That’s how it goes when an “innocent” filler ends up in liposuction.
If you jump on the carousel, you risk triggering a lifelong search for flaws and imperfections, striving to achieve a completely perfect appearance. And what lies on the other side of that? I don’t know, because I’ve never tried any of these procedures, but I can imagine that eventually, one realizes that fixating on this appearance doesn’t make them whole and happy.
You know what the cheapest and most painless way to achieve a perfect appearance is? Self-acceptance and self-love. Then we can avoid the needles, and actually become happier, kinder and richer.
/ Marie
This text was published in ‘Åbo Underrättelser’ 26.01.2021 and you can read it here. In the following video you can hear me read it in Swedish: